A collaboration between Lewis McLain & AI
Patriotism is first and foremost an emotion—an adhesive of pride, belonging, gratitude, and protectiveness that binds individuals to a story larger than themselves. It can produce warmth during shared rituals, goosebumps during an anthem, tears at a military funeral, or a quiet sense of meaning in moments of national remembrance. It can also summon fierce resolve when the country feels threatened or uneasy ambivalence when its ideals appear betrayed.
At its best, patriotism invites self-sacrifice and moral aspiration; at its worst, it can harden into defensiveness or exclusion. In every form, it blends two central impulses: celebratory patriotism, which affirms the country unconditionally, and reflective patriotism, which loves the nation enough to confront its failures and demand improvement.
These emotional currents are not static. They rise and retreat with war and peace, prosperity and anxiety, institutional trust and cultural change. The last century of American life offers a vivid illustration of how public sentiment is shaped by the tides of history. From periods of near-universal pride to deep cycles of division, American patriotism has reflected not only the nation’s external circumstances, but also its internal debates about identity, purpose, and destiny.
For much of the twentieth century—especially from the post–World War II era through the 1990s—patriotic emotion was broad, confident, and largely uncontested. Surveys routinely showed 85–95 percent of Americans declaring strong pride in their national identity. This era of robust national confidence was anchored in a shared narrative: victory in global conflict, economic ascendance, and the belief that the United States bore a unique responsibility for moral leadership during the Cold War. These sentiments were reinforced by common school curricula, mass media with shared reference points, widespread military service, and civic rituals that connected individuals to a collective story.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, produced one of the most powerful surges of patriotic emotion in modern American history. Vulnerability transformed almost overnight into unity and resolve. The share of Americans describing themselves as “extremely proud” rose from 55 percent to roughly 70 percent, with combined “extremely/very proud” responses nearing 90 percent—the highest ever recorded. Flags proliferated in cities and towns; moments of private grief fused with public solidarity. In this period, patriotism’s capacity to convert fear into cohesion became unmistakably visible as the nation rallied around a shared sense of purpose.
Yet the unity of that moment was not permanent. As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dragged on, as confidence in institutions waned, and as economic recovery faltered in the late 2000s, patriotism began to fracture. By the mid-2010s, extreme or very high levels of pride had slipped into the 80–90 percent range—still elevated, but held unevenly across political, racial, and generational lines. Republicans continued to express near-universal strong attachment, while younger Americans and minorities increasingly described a more reflective loyalty, often balancing affection for American ideals with frustration over historical injustices or contemporary failures.
Since 2017, the decline has accelerated. Gallup’s June 2025 survey reported a historic low: only 58 percent of Americans said they were extremely or very proud to be American, with just 41 percent selecting “extremely proud.” The gap between major demographic groups has widened sharply. More than 90 percent of Republicans remain strongly affirming, compared to roughly one-third of Democrats. Younger generations—shaped by digital fragmentation, global awareness, declining trust in institutions, and limited contact with military service—express the lowest levels of intense patriotic feeling ever measured.
Several forces help explain this shift. Media ecosystems now tell competing and incompatible stories about the country, eroding shared narrative. Awareness of systemic inequities has fostered a form of reflective patriotism that critiques as much as it celebrates. Political polarization has turned patriotism itself into a partisan marker, driving some to distance themselves from symbols they worry have become overly politicized. Meanwhile, the absence of a unifying external threat—such as the Cold War or the immediate aftermath of 9/11—has left Americans to face inward, where divisions dominate the emotional field.
The implications of this decline are profound. A shrinking reservoir of shared patriotic feeling may weaken social cohesion during crises and reduce the willingness of citizens to sacrifice for the common good. Yet the moment also presents an opportunity. The rise of reflective patriotism—critical, aspirational, and morally engaged—may offer a path toward a more mature understanding of national loyalty. Instead of blind celebration, it seeks fidelity to the nation’s highest ideals.
Whether such an evolution signals the erosion of national identity or the birth of a deeper, more resilient form of patriotism remains an open question. What is clear is that understanding these emotional shifts is essential to understanding who Americans are becoming—and what kind of nation they hope to be.
Closing: The Path to Renewal
The present decline in patriotic feeling is not an irreversible descent but a signal—a reminder that national attachment is always earned, never assumed. Throughout American history, confidence in the country has risen when institutions demonstrated competence, when opportunity felt broadly accessible, and when the national story inspired more hope than cynicism. It has fallen when those conditions weakened. What we are observing today is not the failure of patriotism itself but the weakening of the structures that once sustained it.
Reversing the trend will therefore require rebuilding the foundations that historically nurtured national pride: governance that is competent and trustworthy, civic rituals and institutions that offer shared experience, a renewed sense of fairness that convinces each generation the American promise is genuinely open to them, and a political culture that treats patriotism as a shared inheritance rather than a partisan badge. Just as importantly, it will require a unifying sense of purpose—an endeavor large enough to gather Americans into a common project and meaningful enough to rekindle the belief that they belong to something greater than themselves.
It must be understood that the true patriot does not waver. Their disappointment with extreme behavior from the other end of the spectrum carries no weight in their beliefs. The United States is not a perfect country, but the patriot knows enough about history to understand that there is no better country. They also have a personal commitment to make their circle of influence know they love the US and will fight to keep it a country where hard work and volunteering are the best, with no political bias.
If the nation can restore these pillars, the emotional contours of patriotism will shift as well. Pride will not return because citizens are instructed to feel it, but because they once again see reasons to believe in the country’s character, capacity, and possibilities. In this sense, the current moment may contain an unexpected opportunity: the chance to move from a reflexive, inherited patriotism to a more thoughtful, resilient, and durable form—one that acknowledges imperfection yet remains anchored in hope.
The question before the country is not whether patriotic emotion can return to historical highs, but whether Americans are willing to undertake the patient, structural work that makes such loyalty possible. If the nation can recover a shared sense of mission, rebuild trust in the institutions that carry that mission forward, and widen the path of opportunity, then patriotism can once again serve as a unifying force—rich in meaning, resilient across differences, and worthy of the country’s future.
Appendix: Probability and Historical Cycles of American Patriotism
Assessing whether patriotic sentiment can return to historical highs requires understanding its cyclical nature. American patriotism has never moved in a simple upward or downward trajectory; it has shifted in waves shaped by national confidence, public trust, and collective purpose. Periods of disillusionment—after Vietnam, during the Watergate era, and throughout the late-1970s malaise—were followed by rebounds when the nation regained a sense of capability and direction. Recent declines fit within this broader pattern, but the present cluster of institutional distrust, polarization, and media fragmentation makes a rapid resurgence less likely than in previous eras.
In the near term, the structural barriers are substantial. Citizens now inhabit competing information environments that tell different stories about America. Institutions that once unified the nation—schools, churches, civic organizations, mass media—have lost influence or coherence. Political incentives reward conflict rather than consensus, and many younger Americans struggle to identify shared civic rituals that feel authentic or inclusive. These conditions reinforce one another, creating feedback loops in which distrust fuels disengagement, disengagement weakens shared identity, and weakened identity deepens distrust. Under these circumstances, patriotic sentiment is more likely to stabilize at current levels or decline gradually than to rebound sharply.
Yet, across longer timelines, American patriotism has repeatedly shown its capacity for renewal. National sentiment often surges in response to events that restore confidence or generate shared purpose. These triggers generally fall into two categories. The first consists of national achievements—scientific breakthroughs, economic revitalization, or successful reforms—that demonstrate competence and inspire pride. The second consists of external challenges—such as major geopolitical threats or national emergencies—that heighten cohesion by reminding citizens of their interdependence. Such events are unpredictable, but when they occur, they can move public opinion dramatically within a short time.
A slower but equally real mechanism for renewal lies in generational change. While younger Americans currently express lower levels of intense patriotic emotion, attitudes evolve as new experiences, responsibilities, and national challenges shape their worldview. Many members of the youngest cohort have yet to encounter a sustained national project comparable to the Space Race, the post-9/11 response, or Cold War mobilization. If such a mission emerges, they may respond with the same surge of attachment observed in earlier generations.
Viewed over a 20- to 30-year horizon, a resurgence of patriotic sentiment becomes more plausible. Nations adapt, institutions reform, and public mood rarely remains fixed for decades. While the current environment does not favor an immediate rebound, the long arc of American experience suggests that renewed patriotism—whether through a unifying civic project or a more mature, reflective understanding of national identity—remains entirely within reach. The timing is uncertain, but the capacity for renewal is part of the country’s historical character.
And the prayer is that true patriotism will grow and be strong. LFM
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