Topline results and crosstabs for the poll can be found at www.umass.edu/poll

Less than three months from the United States’ 250^th anniversary, a sweeping national University of Massachusetts Amherst Poll reveals myriad views of what makes us American and issues that strike at the soul of the country, including racism, sexism, Christian nationalism and even the future of the U.S. itself.

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“As the nation looks ahead to the celebration of 250 years of independence this summer, we thought it was the appropriate time to begin to get a sense of how Americans think about not just this anniversary, but the status of the country,” says Tatishe Nteta, provost professor of political science at UMass Amherst and director of the poll. “We asked a number of questions that attempt to reveal American sentiment toward the nation and give us a chance to look back at the successes – and failures – of the American experiment in representative democracy.”

“As the United States approaches the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it can seem like Americans don’t agree on much,” says Jesse Rhodes, professor of political science at UMass Amherst and co-director of the poll. “Surprisingly, however, a huge majority of Americans (74%) believe that there are more things that unify us than divide us (26%). Despite the pessimism of our age, most Americans are relatively optimistic about the idea of a shared foundation of fundamental beliefs and attitudes. Surprisingly, similar proportions of Republicans (76%) and Democrats (79%) believe that Americans have more in common than things that divide us.”

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Rhodes notes one reason why most Americans believe that we have more in common may be that most Americans (59%) believe that the Declaration of Independence still guides the country in meaningful ways. “Another reason,” he says, “is that a majority of Americans, 57%, believe the United States has made important progress toward the ideals expressed in the Declaration. In short, a majority of Americans believe that we have a shared foundation of values and a shared history of progress toward their realization that binds us together as a country.”

Rhodes points out, however, that there is evidence that these views are colored by economic circumstances. “Wealthier Americans – those making $100k or more – are more likely to believe Americans have more in common (79%) than those making $40k or less (68%),” he says. “And those with post-graduate degrees are more likely to believe Americans have more in common (82%) than those with a high school education or less (66%). In short, the most fortunate Americans are more optimistic about our shared interests than those who face more difficult economic circumstances. In an era of high and rising economic inequality, differences in economic fortunes color Americans’ perceptions of the strength of our ties as a national community.”

The new poll of 1,000 respondents conducted March 20-25 also shows a wide spectrum of views regarding the 250^th celebration itself. 

“A plurality of Americans (37%) see the event as an opportunity to celebrate a proud national milestone, and this sentiment is particularly popular among those who find themselves right of center, with 6 in 10 Republicans (62%), conservatives (64%) and Trump voters (63%), as well as nearly three-quarters (74%) of strong MAGA supporters, selecting this option in our survey,” Nteta says.

“We are a nation deeply divided along party lines on nearly everything, including, it seems, the meaning of the 250^th anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence,” says Alexander Theodoridis, associate professor of political science at UMass Amherst and co-director of the poll. “The vast majority (62%) of Republicans view the upcoming commemorations as a proud national milestone, while most Democrats, on the other hand, tell us it is either not something they think much about (29%) or a chance to reflect on our unfinished work (25%).

“Eighty percent of Republicans say we have succeeded in achieving the ideals for which the United States was founded, while Democrats are more split and independents are the most pessimistic group on this point,” Theodoridis continues. “Three-quarters of Republicans believe the founding ideals of the Declaration of Independence still guide our nation today, while Democrats and independents are evenly split on whether that is the case.”

Also of note, just 42% of African American respondents say that the founding ideals of the Declaration of Independence still guide the country in meaningful ways, compared to 63% of white respondents and 58% of both Latinos and Asians. Nearly 6 in 10 African Americans (58%) say the founding ideals of the document are mostly disconnected from today’s reality, compared to just 37% of whites and 42% of both Latinos and Asians.

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“Americans are spread across pride, reflection and, notably, disengagement in regards to the nation’s founding,” says Raymond La Raja, professor of political science at UMass Amherst and co-director of the poll. “Younger Americans are much less likely to see the founding as a source of pride and more likely to feel detached from it altogether – just 25% of those under 30 years old call it a proud milestone, compared to 47% of citizens over 55. 

“Overall,” La Raja says, “1 in 4 Americans (24%) told us that they haven’t really been thinking much about the 250^th milestone.”
 

Sexism, racism, Christian nationalism and the possibility of secession

The latest UMass Amherst Poll also asked respondents about issues at the heart of one of the Declaration of Independence’s most famous claims: “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

“Ostensibly missing from the origin story of the United States are women, and for much of the history of the U.S. men and women have led efforts to address and to rectify this omission,” Nteta says. “In our poll, we examine the contemporary views toward women in the U.S. and find pluralities of Americans opposing such sexist views as ‘women seek to gain power by getting control over men’ (48%) and that ‘women are too easily offended’ (44%), as well as a majority opposing the view that ‘women exaggerate problems at work’ (51%). Interestingly, we find sizable increases in these anti-sexist views since 2024, supporting the notion that the nation may be on a steady march toward gender equality and an end to sexist views.”

Nteta notes, however, an acceptance of sexist ideals among a significant portion of the MAGA movement.

“While many Americans reject sexist claims regarding the actions and views of women, those strongly affiliated with MAGA are unique in that they have not embraced the norms of gender equality and instead have turned toward the core aspects of what researchers label ‘hostile’ sexism,” Nteta says. “Majorities of self-identified ‘strong MAGA’ respondents agree with the idea that women are too easily offended (56%) and pluralities believe that women seek to gain power by controlling men (42%) and exaggerate the problems that they have at work (49%). Our results suggest that for many in the MAGA movement, a return to the America of old may include a resumption of the gender domination that marked much of the history of the nation.”

The poll also asked respondents’ views of racism in the U.S. “Since the first Black person stepped onto the shores of what would become the United States of America in 1619, the nation has been contending with one of its original sins: the dismissal of the humanity and equality of its African American citizens,” Nteta says. “On the 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a document that trumpets the equality of all people, we find that majorities of Americans express opposition to contemporary manifestations of racism that include the belief that ‘racial problems are rare’ (59%), affirm the existence of white privilege (51%), and indicate their anger at the continued existence of racism (70%). While there is much to be done to achieve true racial equality and to put the scourge of racism in the nation’s rearview mirror, it is undeniable that today in 2026, the nation is closer to the ideals articulated in the Declaration than it has ever been. Whether we will continue to make the ideal of equality, a reality, remains to be seen.”

Theodoridis points to the poll’s findings on Christian nationalism as an area of concern when reflecting back upon the country’s founding.

“One major point of contention appears to be the degree to which the U.S. should officially reflect Christian values,” he says. “The vast majority of Republicans (78%) believe the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation; only 22% of Democrats agree with that sentiment. More than 7 in 10 Republicans (72%) say the federal government should advocate Christian values, while only 14% of Democrats agree. A majority (54%) of Republicans believe the U.S. should be declared a Christian nation, while a mere 6% of Democrats agree. More than three-quarters of Democrats (76%) believe in strictly enforcing the separation of church and state, as compared to fewer than half of Republicans (44%).”

Meanwhile, the poll also asked about the possibility of the current 50 states breaking up as a result of secession, an option that has been bandied by some a quarter of a millenium after the original American colonies united as one new nation.

“Americans are very divided on political and social issues, but that doesn’t mean that they’ve lost faith in the American experiment,” Rhodes says. “In fact, only a tiny minority of Americans believe that the U.S. should split up (12%), or that parts of the U.S. should be allowed to secede from the nation (24%). Nearly two-thirds (63%) believe the U.S. is a nation with a common past and future and should never be divided. In short, the vast majority of Americans believe that, despite our many differences, Americans remain ‘out of many, one.’” 

Rhodes does note a curious finding from the survey on this issue, however.

“Although a supermajority of Americans believe that the U.S. is a nation with a common past and future and should never be divided, there is a strong generational divide, with 72% of those ages 55 and up agreeing, compared with only 51% of those 18-29,” he says. “What’s going on? One likely part of the explanation is the different experiences of these different cohorts with American life. While older Americans have enjoyed significant periods of prosperity as well as periods of economic decline, the youngest Americans have come of age during a period of seemingly perpetual crisis – the Great Recession, the COVID crisis, the Age of Trump, and now the AI revolution. For younger Americans, the feeling of constant uncertainty may be significantly dampening their optimism about the nation’s past and future. As this cohort ages, it will be important to see how their attitudes about the nation evolve.”
 

What makes an “American?”

“As we commemorate 250 years of independence, we wanted to explore what it means to be more or less ‘American,’” Theodoridis explains. “To do this, we designed and ran a special kind of experiment called a conjoint, which is used in marketing research and across the social sciences. The idea is to find out what factors matter to people, holding other things constant. We showed respondents pairs of profiles of hypothetical U.S. citizens. The characteristics of those citizens were completely randomly generated. Respondents had to indicate which profile ‘fits best with what you think of as more American?’”

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“Because all characteristics are randomized, this allows us to understand the independent role each piece of information plays in perceptions of what it means to be American within a rich profile,” explains Stephen Goggin, associate professor of political science at San Diego State University, who assisted the UMass Poll team with the design and analysis of the conjoint study. “Our findings show a mixed picture of agreement between Democrats, Republicans and independents – on some factors there is remarkable agreement, but on others, steep divisions. 

“Across all partisan groups, those who served or are serving in the military are chosen as ‘more American’ than those who have not, and those that speak mainly English at home are chosen as ‘more American’ than those who do not,” Goggin says. “While there is agreement that those who are born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrant parents are ‘less American,’ Republicans view this group as far ‘less American’ than independents and Democrats. While all partisan groups say that those with several generations of U.S. citizenship are also ‘more American,’ Republicans identify this group as ‘more American’ than Democrats.”

“Being socialist, transgender, gay or bisexual, or Muslim also makes Republicans less likely to choose an individual as ‘more American,’” Theodoridis says. “Meanwhile, Democrats find Republicans and lobbyists to be ‘less American,’ and Democrats and Republicans agree that not speaking mainly English at home and not having served in the military make one seem ‘less American,’ while serving in the military makes one seem ‘more American.’

“Race does not seem to move respondents much, but everyone agrees that Native Americans are most American,” Theodoridis adds, “a fitting recognition of the true First Americans.”
 

Methodology

This University of Massachusetts Amherst Poll of 1,000 respondents nationally was conducted by YouGov March 20-25. YouGov interviewed 1,072 total respondents who were then matched down to a sample of 1,000 to produce the final dataset. The respondents were matched to a sampling frame on gender, age, race and education. The sampling frame was constructed by stratified sampling from the full 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year sample with selection within strata by weighted sampling with replacements (using the person weights on the public use file).

The matched cases were weighted to the sampling frame using propensity scores. The matched cases and the frame were combined, and a logistic regression was estimated for inclusion in the frame. The propensity score function included age, gender, race/ethnicity, years of education, region and home ownership. The propensity scores were grouped into deciles of the estimated propensity score in the frame and post-stratified according to these deciles.

The weights were then post-stratified on 2024 presidential vote choice and a four-way stratification of gender, age (4-categories), race (4-categories) and education (4-categories) to produce the final weight.

The margin of error of this poll is 3.5%.

Topline results and crosstabs for the poll can be found at www.umass.edu/poll