Partisan Gap Widens on National Pride, NPR/PBS/Marist Poll Finds
When question wording shifts, so do the results — a methodological detail that matters as both parties claim patriotism as a campaign asset heading into the 2026 midterms.
Americans continue to express broad national pride, but views on patriotism, the country's future, and trust in government are increasingly divided along partisan lines, according to a June 8–11, 2026 NPR/PBS/Marist poll of 1,340 adults. The poll, conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion and reported by Bloomberg on July 4, 2026, found that overall levels of national pride have remained relatively stable over time, even as the partisan composition of that pride has shifted measurably.
The survey's headline finding — that Americans remain broadly proud — is complicated by a methodological note researchers flagged: response patterns changed depending on how pride-related questions were framed. Ashley Connan, director at the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University, noted the sensitivity of question wording in public polling on patriotism themes, as cited in Bloomberg's July 4 coverage. The specific question texts and full cross-tabulations have not yet been released publicly; the complete Marist poll methodology and crosstabs, which would allow independent verification of the partisan breakdowns, are expected to be published on the Marist Institute's public data portal.
The poll's findings arrive on the Fourth of July, a date both Republican and Democratic elected officials routinely use to issue statements on American identity. No legislative action or federal policy is directly tied to this survey. However, similar polling data has historically been cited in floor speeches and campaign communications by members of both parties — uses that cannot be independently verified without reviewing the Congressional Record for the relevant period.
Several questions remain unanswered by currently available public records. The full crosstabs broken down by party identification, age, and region have not been published as of this writing. The margin of error for partisan subgroups — which are smaller than the full 1,340-person sample — is not yet disclosed. The Marist Institute's complete methodology report would answer both questions. Bloomberg attributed additional analysis to Puck News writer Abby Livingston, but her full commentary was not available in the source excerpt reviewed for this article.