Values like patriotism, religion falling out of favor among Americans: poll

Long-held values like patriotism, religion and community involvement are in retreat across America, according to a stunning poll released Monday.

The Wall Street Journal/NORC survey found that just 38% of Americans say patriotism is “very important” to them, down from 70% who said the same in 1998.

Slightly more Americans (39%) placed the same importance on religion, down from 62% who said faith was “very important” to them 25 years ago.

​The percentage of Americans who said raising children was “very important” fell to 30% in the new poll, down from 59% in 1998.

Meanwhile, the share of Americans who valued involvement in their community as “very important” fell to 27% — down from a high of 62% in 2019, the last time the question was polled.

One virtue long associated with liberals, a belief in tolerance for others, is now deemed very important by 58% of Americans — down from 80% four years ago.

By contrast, the only value that has grown in worth to Americans is money, with 43% calling it “very important” compared to 31% who said the same in 1998.

Republican pollster Bill McInturff, who worked on the 2019 survey for the Journal and NBC News, told the paper that Monday’s poll “paints a new and surprising portrait of a changing America.”

“Perhaps the toll of our political division, COVID and the lowest economic confidence in decades is having a startling effect on our core values,” he added.

The poll also found that only 23% of Americans under 30 said patriotism was very important, compared to 59% of seniors aged 65 and older.

​And 31% of young respondents said religion was very important, compared to 55% of those 65 and up.​

​Less than a quarter (23%) of younger Americans ​deemed having children very important, while 32% of seniors said the same. 

Kevin Williams, 33, of Bend, Ore., told the Journal he thought declines in the importance of patriotism and community involvement were a symptom of rising individualism and a growing sense of entitlement in the country.

“I think patriotism encompasses being part of your community and helping other Americans,’’ ​said Williams, a commercial and residential painter who voted for former President Donald Trump twice and joined the Marines after 9/11.

But for Janet Boyer, a former Pentecostal minister in Cumberland Township, Pa., patriotism has taken on a political connotation. 

“For me, patriotism has turned into right-wing nationalism,’’ said Boyer, ​52, who supported President Biden in 2020.

According to the survey, 59% of Republicans said patriotism was “very important” to them compared to 23% of Democrats. Similar gaps showed up on the importance of religion (53% of Republicans and 27% of Democrats saying it was “very important”) and having children (38% of Republicans and 26% of Democrats).

Interestingly, 45% of both Republicans and Democrats deemed money “very important” while just 36% of independents said the same.

The poll also found that 63% of Americans believe companies should not take public stands on social and political issues, while 36% support them taking such stands.  

Meanwhile, a plurality of Americans (43%) say society has “gone too far” in accepting transgender people, compared to 33% who say society hasn’t gone far enough and 23% who say the US has been “about right.”

Similarly, half of Americans say they don’t like being asked to using gender-neutral pronouns like “they” or “them” when addressing another person, while only 18% view it favorably.  

On the other hand, 61% of Americans say they are more worried that schools may ban books or censor topics that are educationally important compared to 36% who say they have a greater fear that schools may teach information that some students or their parents find offensive or inappropriate. 

The WSJ/NORC poll surveyed 1,019 people between March 1 and 13 and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.1 percentage points.