38% of Democrats ‘Ashamed’ to Be Americans
19th June 2026
Democrats are far more likely to say they’re “ashamed” to be Americans than are other U.S. adult citizens, results of a new national survey by The Economist/YouGov reveal.
With the nation’s 250th anniversary less than a month away, the survey conducted June 13-15 polled Americans’ views on their country.
When asked to rate how “proud” they were to be an American, 60% of U.S. adult citizens said they were either “very proud” (42%) or “somewhat proud” (18%).
While 20% of all adults said they were either somewhat (12%) or very (8%) “ashamed,” nearly twice as many Democrat citizens (38%) said they were ashamed, including 12% who reported that they were “very ashamed.” Only 40% of Democrats said they were at least somewhat proud to be Americans.
Another 22% of Democrats said they were “neither” proud nor ashamed to be Americans, on par with the 20% of all U.S. adults who voiced no opinion, one way or the other.
Democrats were also much less likely to think that America has been “a force for good in the world.”
I know how they feel—I’m ashamed that Democrats are Americans too.