A new NBC News poll shows fewer Americans describe themselves as being highly proud of their country than at any point recorded in the survey's recent history, continuing a trend that has developed over the past two decades, as reported by The Daily Caller.

The poll, conducted for NBC News by Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates and Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies, found that only one-third of respondents said they were “extremely proud” to be Americans in 2026.

NBC News data analyst Steve Kornacki discussed the findings Sunday during an appearance on “Meet the Press” with host Kristen Welker, noting that the decline in national pride has been gradual but consistent throughout the 21st century.

“Look: ‘extremely proud,’ ‘very proud.’ Those numbers together get you 56%. At the other end of it: ‘only a little’ or ‘not proud at all,’ 21%,” Kornacki told Welker.

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“The significance of this, this number is in decline. A steady 21st-century decline. At the turn of the century, three-quarters of Americans were ‘extremely’ or ‘very proud.’ That number’s fallen to 56%.”

The findings represent a significant shift from 2003, when 70% of Americans described themselves as “extremely proud” of their country. The latest results show that the figure has fallen to roughly half of what it was more than two decades ago.

Kornacki said the poll revealed familiar political and demographic divisions behind the trend.

“What’s behind this? It’s familiar fault lines, Kristen, political demographic,” Kornacki continued.

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“First, it’s partisan. Look at this: Republicans are almost universally going to tell you, ‘extremely or very proud.’ Look at that number for Democrats. And meanwhile, ‘only a little or not at all,’ 12 times as many Democrats say that compared to Republicans.”

The survey also examined public confidence in major American institutions and found substantial levels of distrust across multiple sectors.

Kornacki pointed to declining confidence in institutions, including the news media, Congress, the federal government, religious organizations, and the Supreme Court.

“Look at this. ‘Very little’ or ‘no confidence’ at all, long list here of these institutions: the news media, Congress, federal government, religious organizations, Supreme Court,” Kornacki told Welker.

“Over the last 20 years, these numbers are 20 or 30 points higher than they’ve been. Just deteriorating confidence. You could see a partisan divide a little bit on these, too. Republicans much more distrustful of the media; Democrats extremely negative on the Supreme Court.”

The poll results arrive amid continued political debates surrounding the role of major institutions in American life. Public confidence in government, media organizations, and other longstanding institutions has been the subject of increasing scrutiny in recent years.

The Supreme Court has been a particular focus of political debate following several major rulings. In recent years, Democrats have criticized decisions involving abortion, nationwide injunctions, the Second Amendment, restrictions on child sex changes, and free expression.

The Court's 2023-2024 term, which concluded on July 1, 2024, included several significant rulings.

Among them were decisions recognizing presidential immunity for official acts, overturning the Chevron doctrine that required judicial deference to regulatory agencies' interpretations of law, and ruling that certain fines imposed by administrative law judges violated protections contained in the Seventh Amendment.

The NBC survey suggests that attitudes toward patriotism and confidence in institutions remain closely connected to political affiliation, with Republicans and Democrats increasingly viewing both the country and its institutions through sharply different lenses.

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