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Just ahead of the big anniversary, Americans feel proud of their country, but at the same time, many are worried about its future, and they think that the country has moved too far from its founding principles of equality, liberty and opportunity. The latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, released this morning, adds those data points and more to how Americans are feeling at this moment. NPR's Maham Javaid has been reviewing the results and brings us more.
MAHAM JAVAID, BYLINE: Most of those surveyed say they are proud of being American. Data on how Americans feel about their past, present and future is divided along partisan, gender and generational lines. Republicans are most likely to be proud of the U.S., at 93%. David Walsh, a retired teacher from New Jersey, who identifies as Republican, says he is very proud. Some of the liberties he appreciates are...
DAVID WALSH: The ability to think how I want, to help out who I want and to try to do things that are good for me and others.
JAVAID: Watching global fans visit the U.S. for the FIFA World Cup and enjoy things that Americans often take for granted has been a reminder to Walsh about how much the country has to offer.
WALSH: Yeah, we have a lot of great things here. That's why people want to come here. But we have so many people who say what we have here is garbage, and they're just - I don't understand. Go live in that other country you think is better, and they'll be coming back in a year.
JAVAID: Arlene Stillwell, a retired college professor from New York and a Democrat, has also felt moved witnessing the U.S. host the World Cup. Watching fellow Americans welcome people from all over the world has given her a lot of hope for the country.
ARLENE STILLWELL: Maybe the problem is not the American people. It's who we've elected. And maybe we need to do some deep reflecting on this next round of elections.
JAVAID: Despite the joy from the World Cup, Stillwell is also part of the minority that is not very proud of being American.
STILLWELL: I have always loved this country. I feel blessed to live here. And I am ashamed of my government. I am ashamed of the bigotry and the hatred and the racism and the sexism and the homophobia and the transphobia and killing little girls in Iran who did nothing to anybody.
JAVAID: Almost half of Americans think the country has moved far away from the nation's founding principles. Democrats are much more likely to say the nation has left behind its core ideals compared to Republicans, but not everyone thinks leaving the past behind is a problem. Matthew Norton, who works in the gaming industry out of Oregon, says it's a good thing that the U.S. has left its founding principles behind.
MATTHEW NORTON: And I think that an appeal simply to how it used to be done isn't the way I want to look at things. I'd rather look at the way things should be done as opposed to how they used to be done.
JAVAID: Most Americans think America's best days are yet to come. A majority of Republicans feel that way, compared to a little less than half of independents and Democrats. Jason Withington works in information technology in Missouri and has voted for both Democratic and Republican presidents in the past. He says he still believes in the American Dream. He thinks that America's future is promising as long as certain things are taken care of.
JASON WITHINGTON: In order for our economy to keep growing and for our - you know, my kids' generation and my grandkids' generation, we got to get the debt under control or our best days will not be ahead of us.
JAVAID: When asked to think ahead to America's 300th birthday, a large chunk of Americans said they're not too confident or not confident at all that the future is brighter for up-and-coming generations. Maham Javaid, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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