It’s Independence Day, but Americans aren’t feeling so proud

The Washington Post polling team is celebrating Independence Day the best way we know how: by combing through the latest surveys of what Americans say they think about their country and patriotism.

We came away with an image that is largely negative or deteriorating. Americans are less proud of their country and the way its democracy works, and they show persistently weak trust in government and many major institutions. Republicans are generally more positive about the country than Democrats, an unsurprising dynamic with President Trump in the White House.

But Americans are not all downbeat; positive ratings of the U.S. economy are at their highest levels in more than a decade, and a growing share says the country’s best days are ahead. CONT.

Emily Guskin, Washington Post