The second presidency of Donald Trump, whose political persona since 2015 has been shaped around promises to “Make America Great Again” and put “America First,” has unsurprisingly placed the idea of America at the forefront of the nation’s consciousness. Questions around what, and who, is truly “American” dominate our political discourse, and the debates are already having existential consequences for the constitutional freedoms of speech, religion, petition, assembly, and the press.
Against this backdrop, it comes as no surprise that the 50th edition of the biannual Harvard Youth Poll, the nation’s leading survey of 18-29-year-olds, finds the idea of “America” to be profoundly polarizing for the nation’s youth: less than half of young Americans (41%) say they are proud to be American. Almost a third (29%) say they are embarrassed to be American. When asked what is most important to being American, “individual rights and freedoms” was by far the most common answer, but there were vast gaps along party lines over what came next. Ultimately, these deep partisan and demographic divides should indicate that the societal divides dominating our discourse are existential and will not be easily reconciled.
Democrats and Republicans agree on freedom, disagree on everything else
Respondents who identify with both major parties agree that “individual rights and freedoms” are the most important aspect of American identity, with 44% of Democrats and 33% of Republicans selecting this from a list of options. The fact that young Democrats were more supportive of individual freedoms than Republicans may be indicative of a broader turn in the Republican party toward authoritarianism, as a strong plurality (44%) of Republican respondents agreed that “the president should have the authority to take any actions they consider necessary to benefit the country.” (Only 7% of Democrats agreed with this statement.)
A much deeper partisan rift emerges in respondents’ other priorities. Among young Democrats, the next most important aspects were “diversity and inclusion” (28%) and “democracy and civic engagement” (22%), while young Republicans valued “economic opportunity and upward mobility” (27%) and “Christian values” (21%).
The stark difference between young Democrats’ focus on diversity and young Republicans’ focus on Christian values could not be more striking. Donald Trump has taken pains to market himself as a Christian leader, selling “God Bless the USA” Bibles during his recent campaign — advertised as “the only Bible endorsed by President Trump” — and signing an executive order to combat “anti-Christian bias” as president. The pro-Christian and anti-diversity philosophy extolled by Trump found its most explicit expression in The 1776 Report, his 2021 “patriotic education” curriculum that has been widely panned by scholars.
The consensus over the importance of individual freedoms theoretically represents a promising bridge across this divide, but the additional answers point to large gaps in what Republicans and Democrats mean when they say “individual rights and freedoms.”
Republicans proud, Democrats embarrassed to be American
Only 41% of young Americans say they are proud to be American. This statistic, however, belies a profound partisan divide in the data. Young Republicans are overwhelmingly more proud to be American, with 76% saying they are proud compared to 8% saying they are embarrassed. Democrats, meanwhile, are much more likely to be embarrassed to be American, with 54% being embarrassed compared to only 24% being proud.
This rift suggests that the very idea of America is controversial, as a majority of young Democrats are ashamed to be associated with their country. This data can be further explained by partisan answers to the question of American identity: Democrats were less likely than Republicans to value “patriotism and national pride” (13% vs. 19%), but they were more likely to value “democracy and civic engagement” (22% vs. 9%). This divide suggests that young Republicans may prioritize supporting their country in all cases, while young Democrats may prioritize working to improve their country.
It is worth noting that a majority of young Americans who voted in 2024 say they are proud to be American. Those who said they were embarrassed to be American, however, were more likely to participate in most non-electoral forms of political engagement (including participating in a political organization, volunteering for a campaign, attending a rally, donating to a cause, or posting online). Since young Democrats were more likely to be embarrassed to be American, this result is likely the result of partisanship, where Democrats are more likely to engage in non-voting political activities in protest of the current administration.
Men, Christians, homeowners, and White Americans more proud to be American
Young men were largely credited with swinging the 2024 election in Donald Trump’s favor. Unsurprisingly, the political gender divide also appears in questions of American pride, with 48% of young men and only 33% of young women saying they are proud to be American. Similarly, 51% of respondents identifying as straight were also proud, compared to only 16% of those identifying as something other than straight.
White respondents were also more likely to say they were proud to be American at 45%, while Black (31%) and Hispanic (37%) respondents were less likely to agree with the statement. Despite overall approval of President Trump rising slightly among people of color relative to 2017, there are still clear racial divides over the nature of America itself.
Two in three “Fundamentalist/Evangelical Christians” said they were proud to be American, with Protestants (56%) and Catholics (55%) slightly behind. This far surpasses those with no religious preference, only 31% of whom were embarrassed to be American. Unsurprisingly, especially in light of the Trump administration’s constant overtures to the religious right, Christians are far more likely to identify themselves closely with the idea of America than non-Christians.
By household income, the group most likely to say they were proud to be American were those with the highest incomes — more than $150,000 per year — at 49%. This is far above the households with the lowest incomes; among those whose income is less than $75,000 per year, just 33% feel proud. The wealthiest group was also the most likely to say that “economic opportunity” is a key aspect of American identity, with 26% selecting this. Homeowners (46%) were also much more likely to be proud to be American than renters (31%).
These divides are profound, but the most enduring division remains partisan affiliation. Republicans across income categories are proud to be American at rates significantly higher than Democrats across income categories; the same applies for race and religion. These particular data points force us to acknowledge that our political disputes are profound and deeply entrenched, rooted in existential questions about what America is or should be. While the data may not explicitly provide a solution for how to reconcile those philosophical divides, these results should imbue the quest for those solutions with a heightened sense of urgency.
Bureau of Ethical and Sensitive Reporting Chief
