Traditional American values such as patriotism, religion, and family are losing their grip on American society, with money becoming the most important value for Americans after a 25-year gap. The deepening political polarization, the COVID-19 pandemic, and economic uncertainty are all contributing to the changing values of Americans.
According to a recent poll conducted by The Wall Street Journal and the NORC at the University of Chicago, only 38% of respondents said that patriotism was very important, a significant drop from 70% in a similar poll conducted in 1998. The response was particularly low among young people aged 18 to 29, with only 23% saying that patriotism was very important. Similarly, the percentage of people who said that religion was very important dropped from 62% in 1998 to 39% in the recent poll. The importance of family also dropped from 59% to 30% over the same period, with young people responding even lower at 23%.
Although the importance of community participation increased from 47% in 1998 to 62% in 2019, it dropped significantly to 27% in the recent poll. The importance of tolerance towards others also dropped from 80% in 2017 to 58% in the recent poll.
In contrast, the only value that has become more important to Americans over the past 25 years is money. In the 1998 poll, only 31% of respondents said that money was very important, but in the recent poll, that number increased to 43%.
Bill McInturff, a pollster, suggests that political polarization, COVID-19, and the lowest economic confidence in decades may have influenced American values. Furthermore, American pride has declined, with only 21% of respondents saying that the US is better than any other country, while 27% believe that other countries are better. This is a significant decrease from the 19% who believed that other countries were better in a 2016 poll.