Politics

Poll finds 64 percent of young adults are not proud to be American

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Results from a poll published Monday, the day after Independence Day, show that nearly two-thirds of young adults age 18-24 do not claim to be proud to be American.

The poll, conducted by Issues & Insights and Tippinsights, collected responses between June 30 and July 2 from 1,424 adults. After dividing results by various demographics such as region, age, gender, race, and others, I&I/TIPP writes, “So, which is the one – and only one – demographic group in the I&I/TIPP poll that is not proud to be American? It’s young people age 18 to 24. The poll found that only 36% of this group say they are very or extremely proud, making it the sole demographic group tracked among whom pride falls below 50%.”  

As the age brackets progressed, however, so did pride in America: 59 percent of those age 25 to 44, 75 percent of those 45 to 64, and 86 percent of those 65 and older reported being extremely or very proud. Other results from the poll found that 81 percent of conservatives are proud to be American compared to 55 percent of liberals, 77 percent of men are proud compared to 59 percent of women, and 73 percent of white individuals are proud compared to 56 percent of black and Hispanic individuals (The Blaze).

A report by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni dating back to 2001 places the blame on higher education and universities. Regarding the report entitled “Defending Civilization: How Our Universities Are Failing America and What Can Be Done About It,” the Washington Times writes, “The anti-American sentiment has been a part of campus life since it first appeared during the Vietnam War era, when students held anti-war rallies to urge the federal government to stop the conflict overseas. That sentiment became more evident in the months after the September 11 terrorist attacks, when professors and administrators removed American flags that students had put up.”

Anthony Jones, opinion contributor for USA Today, claims the same is true in the current decade as professors’ words and actions shape students’ views on America. Jones says, “In August, Adam Kotsko, a history professor at North Central College, tweeted that ‘the design and effect of the Constitution, in all its iterations, has been racist’…These assertions strike at the very root of the American story and threaten to undermine an appreciation of its true values and goals.”  

ARTICLE: ELIZABETH HERTZBERG
MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE
PHOTO CREDITS: ASIA TIMES

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