Why Only 16% of Gen Z Are Proud to Be an American, and What We Should Do About It
Jarrett Stepman / @JarrettStepman / January 13, 2023
A recent poll found that only 16% of Gen Zers felt "pride" in country. That's something that surely brings a tear to Lady Liberty's eye. (Photo: Grant Faint/Getty Images)
COMMENTARY BY
Jarrett Stepman
Jarrett Stepman is a columnist for The Daily Signal. He is also the author of the book "The War on History: The Conspiracy to Rewrite America's Past." Send an email to Jarrett
Only 16% of Gen Zers are “proud” to live in the United States.
That finding comes from a recent Morning Consult poll, which assessed generational attitudes about the United States. The poll shows that there has been roughly a 20-percentage-point drop of pride in country every generation since the Baby Boomers, 73% of whom express pride in the country.
Many on social media noted with exasperation that those who say they have no pride in country are in no hurry to move somewhere else.
It’s true, our success as a nation has apparently led to a great deal of ingratitude and navel-gazing. However, the poll points to a deeper problem.
Even if the poll is off or exaggerated, it’s hard to ignore the reality and the trend. With each passing generation, there’s less connection to country and less patriotism. With this comes enormous—and likely terrible—implications.
First, for those insistent on upholding the “liberal international order,” as some call it, that’s going to be hard to do when so few people are willing to support or defend even their own nation. It also should come as no surprise that the military is having a recruitment crisis. Could you imagine what would happen if we had to reinstate the draft?
https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/01/13/why-only-16-of-gen-z-are-proud-to-be-an-american-and-what-we-should-do-about-it/
