U.S. — A recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, conducted from June 8 to June 11, 2026, indicates shifts in American sentiment regarding national pride, democracy, and political violence. The survey included 1,340 respondents and has a margin of error of +/- 3.0 percentage points.

Overall, 35% of respondents indicated they are not proud to be American. About 83% of Americans believe the country has moved away from its founding principles, with nearly half stating it has moved far away. Conversely, 16% of Americans believe the country still represents its founding values.

Broken down by political affiliation, 93% of Republican respondents said they were proud to be American, with 65% reporting they were very proud. Among Independents, 61% expressed pride in being American, while 45% of Democratic respondents stated they were proud to be American. Regarding founding principles, 20% of Republicans believed the nation still reflects these principles, compared to 13% of Democrats.

The poll also showed that 82% of respondents perceive a serious threat to democracy, a four-point increase since February 2026. On the question of political violence, 12% of respondents strongly agreed that resorting to violence is the way to course correct the country's direction. In contrast, 35% of Americans currently disagree with using violence to address their concerns, and 27% strongly disagreed.

Retired teacher David Walsh said he is proud of "the ability to think how I want, to help out who I want and to try to do things that are good for me and others." Walsh stated, "We have a lot of great things here. That's why people want to come here." Federal employee Christopher James acknowledged pride in some achievements but noted, "But it's hard to feel absolute pride considering the conflicts that are going on in our society right now." James added about violence: "People think it will solve their problem, but it will create so many more."

John Grigg, an election officer, expressed a contrasting view: "Celebrating how America had become America at that point versus now where America is, it just looks like two different places." He explained, "The violence may be what is needed to influence some people's decisions."