As America prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, a new poll finds Republicans and Democrats sharply divided on patriotism, flag displays and the meaning of the July 4 holiday.
The Reuters/Ipsos survey, conducted June 12–15 among 1,537 US adults, asked Americans how they planned to celebrate Independence Day, including whether they intended to display the US flag, attend patriotic events and what the holiday represents to them.
The poll found 64% of Republicans said they would display an American flag or flag bunting outside their home this July 4, compared with just 27% of Democrats.
The survey also found major differences in how Americans view the significance of the national holiday.
Nearly two-thirds of Republicans (65%) said July 4 is “a day where I celebrate the United States of America,” while only 24% of Democrats said the same.
Democrats and independents were also more likely than Republicans to describe July 4 as “just like any other day,” with both groups registering 11 percentage points higher than Republicans on that measure.
How Americans choose to celebrate the holiday also broke along party lines.
Republicans were considerably more likely to take part in traditional patriotic activities, such as wearing red, white and blue (52% compared to 20% of Democrats), attending a fireworks show (46% vs. 28%), and attending a parade or festival (20% vs. 9%).
Nearly one-quarter of Democrats and independents (24%) said they do not plan to celebrate Independence Day at all, compared with 8% of Republicans.
The survey also found significant differences in how Americans view the United States. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only 11% of Democrats believe the United States is the greatest country in the world, compared with 62% of Republicans.
These findings reflect other recent surveys which have documented declining patriotism and growing ideological differences between Americans.
A recent Fox News survey ahead of America’s 250th anniversary found a large number of voters believe America is divided by different values (58%) rather than shared values (42%).
Majorities of Democrats (62%) and independents (65%) think Americans are separated by different values, while views among Republicans are split (49% shared vs. 50% different values).
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