CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten expressed surprise Friday at how sharply Democratic pride in being American has plummeted over the past decade, hitting a record low.
Citing Gallup polling data, Enten reported that only 36% of Democrats in 2025 said they are “extremely” or “very” proud to be American—a dramatic drop from 80% in 2015. The decline has coincided with Donald Trump’s rise to the presidency not once, but twice.
“That number has plummeted to just 36% now in 2025, a low this century. It’s fallen by more than half since 2015, as Donald Trump has become, of course, president once again this year,” Enten said.
Enten also highlighted younger voters as a key driver behind the decline. According to the polling, only 24% of those born after 1997 said they are “extremely” or “very” proud to be American. In contrast, 32% of that same group said they feel “little” or “no” pride in being American at all.
“I just never thought I’d see these numbers based upon where we were a decade ago. But that’s exactly where we are,” Enten said. In contrast, Republican pride in being American has remained largely steady. In 2015, 90% of Republicans said they were “extremely” or “very” proud to be American—a figure that rose slightly to 92% in 2025.
“In 2015, it was 90 percent back when [former President] Barack Obama was serving his second term. Now in Donald Trump’s second term, it’s basically the same percentage, 92 percent. So Republicans still are extremely or very proud to be an American,” Enten said. “Democrats, on the other hand, have seen their numbers fall through the floor, led of course by the youngest generation, Generation Z.”
