Yet over half of voters are not proud of the U.S., and confidence in American institutions sits at or close to historic lows
As Independence Day approaches, 7 in 10 American voters think the U.S. is the best country in the world to live in, up 5 percentage points from a record low last summer, according to a Fox News survey.
But less than half are proud of the country, and two-thirds don’t trust the federal government and lack confidence in Congress.
The survey, released Monday, finds 69% of voters think the U.S. is the best country in the world to reside in -- up from a low of 64% in 2023. Still, that is nowhere near the highs of 84% in 2011 or 83% in 2015.
The boost in positivity since last summer is seen across the board, though the most notable improvements are among nonwhite voters (+17 points more likely to say the U.S. is best) and voters under age 30 (+11).
At the same time, a slim 52% majority says they are not proud of the country. Just under half, 45%, feel proud of the U.S. -- up from 44% last year and 39% who were proud in 2022. That still trails the 51% who felt that way in 2017. When the question was first asked in a Fox News survey in 2011, some 69% said they were proud.
Age and party are highly correlated with U.S. pride and belief that the U.S. is the best place to live.
Republicans (79%) are nearly 20 points more likely than Democrats (62%) and Independents (61%) to say the U.S. is the best country. Voters ages 65 and over (86%) are 36 points more likely than those under age 30 (50%) to say the same.
A larger share of voters ages 65 and over (58%) than those under 30 (33%) feel proud of the country. The partisan dynamic flips, however: a majority of Democrats (55%) is proud, while less than half of Independents (42%) and Republicans (36%) agree.
"It is unsurprising that party predicts pride," says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts Fox News surveys with Democrat Chris Anderson. "Historically, if your party has the White House, you are more likely to say you are proud of the country. My guess is Democratic pride numbers will drop like a stone if Trump wins in November."
The pride question was asked once during Trump’s presidency, in June 2017, and by a 6-point margin more said they were proud (51% proud vs. 45% not proud). At that time, 64% of Republicans and half of Independents (50%) were proud, compared to 39% of Democrats.
Still, that is nowhere near the high of 69% saying they were proud in June 2011, toward the end of President Obama’s first term. Majorities across the board were proud then.
Overall, two-thirds (66%) distrust the federal government and lack confidence in Congress (64%) -- mostly unchanged since last year.
Trust in the federal government has ranged between 31% and 42% since 2009, and this year is no different at 32%.
Age and partisan gaps are here as well. By a 20-point margin, more voters ages 65 and over (45%) trust the government than voters under 30 (25%). Democrats (52%) are much more inclined to trust the government than Independents (25%) or Republicans (13%).
Overall, confidence in American institutions has held steady since last summer but remains at or near record lows.
Some 36% of voters have a great deal (8%) or some (28%) confidence in Congress -- the lowest rating of any American institution tested in the poll. All others are at or over 50% support.
By far, voters have the most confidence in jury trials (70% a great deal/some confidence), followed by the FBI (59%), the Department of Justice (54%), and the Supreme Court (50%).
"Despite recent attacks by Trump, confidence in the Department of Justice has not decreased," says Anderson. "And while opinions of the Supreme Court haven’t gotten worse in the last year, confidence in the court remains far lower than it was prior to the Dobbs ruling."
Before Roe v. Wade was overturned, roughly 7 in 10 or more voters had confidence in the high court.
The survey was conducted June 14-17, prior to the SCOTUS ruling regarding presidential immunity on July 1.
The FBI matches its record low from last summer (59% confident). Majorities of Democrats (77%) and Independents (61%) have confidence in the FBI vs. just 4 in 10 Republicans (39%).
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The numbers look about the same for the Department of Justice (54% confident): most Democrats (73%) have confidence, while fewer than half of Independents (48%) and Republicans (36%) feel that way.
On the flip side, Republicans are the main supporters of the Supreme Court (74% have confidence) while Democrats (30%) and Independents (43%) are much less likely.
There is rare partisan agreement on jury trials and Congress. Majorities of Democrats (81%), Republicans (61%), and Independents (60%) have faith in juries.
Congress fares the worst among all three groups: Democrats (37% confidence), Republicans (36%), and Independents (31%).
Conducted June 14-17, 2024 under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,095 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (130) and cellphones (700) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (265). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling errors associated with subgroup results is higher. In addition to sampling errors, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics of respondents are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.
