A new Gallup survey released ahead of America’s 250th anniversary found that fewer than 1 in 5 adults believe the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be pleased with the country’s current direction.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Most Americans believe the nation’s founders would be disappointed with the United States today as the country prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, according to a new Gallup survey.
The poll found that 77% of Americans say the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be disappointed with how the country has developed. Only 19% said the founders would be pleased.
The result reflects a major decline in public confidence over the past 25 years. In 2001, 42% of Americans said the founders would approve of the country’s path. That share fell to 29% in 2013 and has now dropped below 20%.
Gallup found that pessimism about the country’s current condition crosses political and demographic groups, though Republicans were somewhat more likely than Democrats to say the founders would be pleased.
Among Republicans, 25% said the founders would approve of the United States today. That view was shared by 21% of independents and 13% of Democrats.
The partisan pattern has changed since 2013, when President Barack Obama was in office. At that time, 42% of Democrats said the founders would be pleased, compared with 12% of Republicans.
Despite widespread doubts about whether the founders would approve of the country today, most Americans still believe the United States has had at least some success in living up to its founding principles.
Gallup found that 69% of respondents said the country has fulfilled those principles either “a great deal” or “a fair amount.” That included 20% who said the nation has succeeded “a great deal” and 49% who said it has succeeded “a fair amount.”
That measure has also fallen from earlier periods. During the nation’s bicentennial in 1976, 77% of Americans said the United States had achieved at least a fair amount of success in fulfilling its founding ideals. In 2002, after the Sept. 11 attacks, the figure reached 84%.
Republicans were more likely than Democrats to say the country has succeeded strongly in meeting its founding ideals. Thirty percent of Republicans said the nation has succeeded “a great deal,” compared with 20% of independents and 10% of Democrats.
Age also shaped views of the country’s success. Just 8% of adults under age 34 said the United States has succeeded “a great deal” in fulfilling its founding principles. That compared with 23% of adults ages 35 to 54 and 24% of those 55 and older.
Gallup conducted the survey May 1-17 among 1,001 adults nationwide. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
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