Poll Finds Patriotism Is the Widest Partisan Divide in American Values

A new survey from Gallup and With Honor has found that patriotism is the single biggest point of partisan disagreement when Americans are asked which values the nation needs most. The results were released Sunday.

Among Republicans, 46% placed patriotism in their top three needed values. Only 6% of Democrats did the same, a gap of 40 percentage points that exceeds every other difference measured in the poll.

"Democrats are far more likely to say the country needs equality, fairness and kindness, while Republicans are far more likely to say the country needs responsibility and patriotism," according to Gallup.

Across all respondents, honesty (34%), responsibility (32%) and integrity (31%) were seen as the most urgently needed values. The parties diverge sharply beneath those totals. Republicans ranked patriotism first, followed by responsibility (41%) and honesty (38%). Democrats put equality first at 44%, then fairness (34%) and honesty (32%). Independents landed between the two groups, most often choosing honesty (34%), responsibility (32%) and integrity (31%), while just 15% picked patriotism.

Equality produced the second-widest split. It was chosen by 44% of Democrats and 10% of Republicans, a 34-point difference. Fairness also divided the parties, with 34% of Democrats selecting it compared with 15% of Republicans.

Age showed a similar pattern. Adults 65 and older were nearly three times as likely as those aged 18 to 39 to say the country needs more patriotism, at 32% versus 12%.

Even so, patriotism was among the values respondents most often said they believed most Americans share regardless of politics. Given a list of 12 values, 32% chose patriotism, behind only freedom at 38%. The list also included service, kindness, respect, equality, fairness, responsibility, integrity, courage, honesty and humility. Overall, 76% said people share at least one of those values across political lines, 59% said at least two, and 46% said at least three.

The poll also found wide agreement on tolerance. Nearly eight in 10 Americans (79%) said respecting different values matters more than holding the same ones, including 84% of Democrats, 81% of independents and 72% of Republicans. In addition, 70% said elected leaders should be willing to compromise across party lines, even if it carries a personal political cost.

"Perhaps, then, the ultimate shared value is that Americans agree to disagree," the Gallup analysis concluded. The survey was conducted May 12 to 22 among a nationally representative panel of more than 3,000 U.S. adults.