SURVEY: High school students more patriotic than high school grads
Only 35 percent of high school graduates describe themselves as patriotic.
High school students are much more likely to describe themselves as patriotic than high school graduates.
Young America’s Foundation, Echelon Insights and Townhall conducted a survey on patriotism among youth in the United States.
Results showed that college students have less patriotism than high school students. Among the high school students, 58 percent said they are patriotic in comparison to the 35 percent of graduates who said the same.
According to the survey, 91 percent of high school-aged students surveyed view the American flag as “very” or “somewhat” favorable in comparison to 73 percent of high school graduates. Meanwhile, 88 percent of high school students who view the United States favorably, which is almost 20 percent more than that of high school graduates.
High school graduates showed that they have a more favorable view toward Canada, 78 percent, than the United States, 69 percent.
[RELATED: American pride among young Americans at all-time low]
While 66 percent of high school students agree that the statement the U.S. “is exceptional and unique” is an “extremely well” defining attribute of the nation, only 47 percent of high school graduates agree. The survey also shows that 63 percent of high school students and 40 percent of graduates are extremely proud of their country.
Over 50 percent of high school students believe the U.S. values equality, compared to only 34 percent of high school graduates. The willingness of youth to sacrifice for their country has close results, with 48 percent of high school students and 32 percent of high school graduates in agreement.
YAF spokesman Spencer Brown commented on the survey, “while many young people today hold positive opinions about America and its attributes, it’s clear that once a student gets to college, those positive feelings are eroded or replaced with more negative opinions about our country. High school and college students still prefer the United States to other countries, believe that our country is a work in progress, and understand the reasons people around the world want to live in America, but barely half say they’re proud of America.”
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @KestecherLacey
