As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, a new national survey suggests Americans remain deeply divided over how they view their country, with Republicans and Democrats expressing sharply different levels of national pride.
The findings come from the latest weekly Economist/YouGov survey, conducted June 19–22 among 1,679 U.S. adults.
Overall, most respondents rated the United States positively when compared with other nations. Twenty-five percent described America as “the greatest” country in the world, while another 20 percent said it is “among the greatest.” An additional 12 percent called the country “better than average.”
Negative assessments were less common overall. Twelve percent of respondents said the United States is “worse than average,” nine percent ranked it “among the worst,” and four percent described it as “the worst” country. The remaining respondents selected “about average” or were unsure.
The survey revealed a substantial partisan divide.
Among Republicans, 52 percent said the United States is the greatest country in the world, while another 28 percent described it as among the greatest. Only a small percentage of Republican respondents gave the country a negative rating.
Democrats expressed a much different view. Just eight percent said America is the greatest country, while 16 percent said it is among the greatest. The largest share of Democratic respondents—23 percent—described the United States as worse than average compared with other countries. Another 15 percent said it is among the worst, while four percent called it the worst country outright.
An additional 13 percent of Democrats rated America as about average, and 13 percent said it is better than average.
The ideological split closely mirrored the partisan divide. Among self-described conservatives, 53 percent identified the United States as the greatest country in the world. Among self-described liberals, the largest share—26 percent—said America is worse than average compared with other nations.
The survey also examined responses based on voting in the 2024 presidential election.
Among respondents who said they voted for President Donald Trump, 54 percent described America as the greatest country, while another 27 percent said it is among the greatest. None of those respondents described the United States as the worst country.
Among respondents who said they voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris, nearly one-quarter said America is worse than average, while 18 percent ranked it among the worst. Five percent of Harris voters described the United States as the worst country.
