After 9/11 highs, America's back to good ol' patriotism

Christine Finch feels patriotic every time she enters a voting booth.

"Jefferson and Washington are in there with me," says the water-conservation worker from Richmond, Calif. "Americans took a risk [230] years ago, and I'm reaping the benefits."

With many Americans, as with Ms. Finch, there's a timelessness to their thoughts on patriotism. In Monitor interviews conducted during the July 4 weekend, words such as "love" and "loyalty" toward America flow easily, as do expressions of belief in the ideals of freedom and democracy. Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that the latest global survey on "national pride," a close cousin of patriotism, found that Americans ranked No. 1 among the 34 democracies polled.

"We've always been at or near the top," going back at least 50 years, says Tom Smith, author of the report released last week by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.

Of the 10 areas the survey gauged, the United States ranked highest in five – pride in its democracy, its political influence, economy, science, and military. (The other five areas were history, sports, arts/literature, fair and equal treatment of groups, and social security system.) Given America's status as the world's only superpower, the top overall ranking comes as little surprise, says Mr. Smith. The surveys were conducted in 2003 and 2004.

Now, in the summer of 2006, with the Iraq war, immigration, and the American flag occupying political discourse, a snapshot of US patriotism looks more tempered. A Gallup poll released July 3 finds that American national pride has sunk back to pre-9/11 levels, with 57 percent of Americans saying they are "extremely proud" to be American, compared with 55 percent in January 2001. Among the seven subsequent Gallup surveys asking that question, the high point for "extremely proud" was 70 percent in June 2003.

The numbers have declined among all political subgroups: Conservatives have declined from an average of 79 percent "extremely proud" in the 2002-2004 period to 71 percent today. Moderates are 56 percent "extremely proud" today versus 68 percent in '02-'04. And liberals are down to 40 percent "extremely proud" today, from 55 percent before.

Still, when the "very proud" column (25 percent overall today) is added to "extremely proud," the picture is clear: American national pride remains healthy. In interviews conducted in Boston, Nashville, Tenn., and Marin County, Calif., Americans demonstrated a range of attitudes toward patriotic expression.

"I'm proud to be an American, but that doesn't mean I have faith in the government," says Steve Williams of Shawnee, Okla., on vacation in Boston with his family. "There was a sense of not saying anything negative about the war because of patriotism. I think it's become evident that there needs to be some strong, critical debate about getting our troops to safety."

"I think we need to realize that there's a lot of different views in the world besides ours," adds Mr. Williams, echoing recent surveys showing that America's reputation in the world has continued to decline. "We need to be a little more tolerant of people's opposing views."

Lexi Roig, a seven-year-old from Methuen, Mass., in Boston with her family, sported an American flag on the cast on her leg. "Lexi's very patriotic," says her father, Alex Roig. "She wanted to see John Kerry on her birthday [and] dress as John Kerry for Halloween," he adds, referring to the senator from Massachusetts and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee.

Mr. Roig then throws in his own two cents about the war: "I back it no matter what. You can agree or disagree with the president, but you have to stand behind the troops."

Ralph Key, a retired police officer in Nashville, prefers to wear his patriotism on his chest: He is wearing a white T-shirt emblazoned with one word: "America." But, he says, he demonstrates his American pride by living as a hardworking, responsible American.

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