A new poll reveals a significant erosion in the number of Americans who consider democracy fundamental to the nation’s identity, just weeks before the country marks its 250th anniversary.
The survey, conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, found that 66 percent of respondents described “a democratically elected government” as either “extremely important” or “very important” to the United States’ identity as a nation. That figure marks a 10-point decline from 76 percent in 2024 and a 14-point drop from 80 percent in 2021.
Twenty percent of those polled said a democratically elected government is “somewhat important” to national identity, while 13 percent deemed it “not important at all” or “not too important.” One percent refused to answer or skipped the question.
The poll also captured a broader slide in national pride. Just 44 percent of respondents said the U.S. is “one of the greatest countries in the world, along with some others,” down from 51 percent in 2024. That finding echoes a separate survey that showed a similar drop in Americans ranking the U.S. as a top nation as the 250th anniversary nears.
The AP-NORC poll comes ahead of the July 4 bicentennial celebration, a moment typically marked by reflection on democratic ideals and liberty. Yet the data suggests a growing skepticism about the health of American democracy—a sentiment reinforced by a recent Quinnipiac University poll in which more than half of Americans said the democratic system is not working in their country.
“This isn’t just a temporary dip; it’s a sustained erosion of faith in our core political institutions,” said a senior political analyst familiar with the poll’s trends. “The decline across just a few years is striking, especially for a country about to celebrate its 250th birthday.”
Some political observers link the trend to deepening partisan polarization and a series of high-profile challenges to democratic norms. Democrats have increasingly turned to figures like Pete Buttigieg as a counterweight to former President Donald Trump, while the abrupt resignation of Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson has fueled concerns about election administration ahead of the midterms.
Despite the grim numbers, the poll also suggests that a majority of Americans still hold some attachment to democratic values, even if they are less likely to call them central to national identity. The AP-NORC survey was conducted from April 16 to 20, included 2,596 respondents, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
