Proud To Be An American, Unless You Are Liberal [Poll]

“Proud to be an American” were lyrics sung by country music crooner Lee Greenwood in his 1984 hit “God Bless the USA.”

According to a new poll from Pew Research, those words are something liberals largely disagree with. The numbers, released late last week, revealed that around 60 percent of people who identified themselves as “solid liberals” politically were not proud to be an American.

In contrast, Americans who identified themselves as “steadfast conservatives” were proud to be an American at a rate of 72 percent.

Even more than that, business conservatives were 81 percent “proud.”

Among other eye-opening data found in the research; the country is now comprised of a large middle core, and that core will continue to make life more difficult on the two major political parties — Democrats and Republicans — as they are often commandeered by those at the extreme of the two spectrums.

From the report:

Partisan polarization – the vast and growing gap between Republicans and Democrats – is a defining feature of politics today. But beyond the ideological wings, which make up a minority of the public, the political landscape includes a center that is large and diverse, unified by frustration with politics and little else. As a result, both parties face formidable challenges in reaching beyond their bases to appeal to the middle of the electorate and build sustainable coalitions.

Taking the ball from Pew and running with it, Aaron Blake of the Washington Post highlighted some more key differences between the two types of American.

The poll also shows many liberals don’t liken themselves to your average American. Just 51 percent say they feel as though they are “typical Americans” — as compared to three-quarters of conservatives and at least two-thirds of all the other groups.

The results differ from other recent polling which has tested a similar question. Gallup found strong majorities of all political groups say they are generally proud to be Americans, and Fox News in 2011 actually found more Democrats than Republicans said they were proud.

Part of the difference in the new poll, undoubtedly, is that Pew drills down a little more to highlight differences between true liberals and other liberals who might not be as consistent. Pew’s definition of “solid liberals” comprises just 15 percent of the American population — a much smaller group than just “liberals” or Democrats.

Are you proud to be an American? Where do you fit on the political spectrum? Share your thoughts in our comments section.

[Image via ShutterStock]