As the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a new Elon University poll found Americans are entering the milestone with both pride and uncertainty about the country’s future.

The national survey found that 68% of Americans are proud to be American, but 52% believe the country is not successfully living up to its founding ideals. Nearly three-quarters of respondents also rated the overall health of American democracy as only "fair" or “poor.”

Jason Husser, director of the Elon Poll and Elon professor of political science and public policy, said the survey was designed to examine more than opinions about the anniversary. 

“We asked questions not focused just on America 250 the moment, but asking people to reflect more broadly on the 250-year journey that America has been on, as well as the journey that it has ahead,” Husser said. 

The poll surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults between April 30 and May 4 and asked about democracy, civic engagement, history and the country’s future. 

Husser said polls provide a deeper understanding of public opinion than election results alone.

“A vote alone only tells you one candidate or one party was preferred more often than the other,” Husser said. “What we do with polls is try to go deeper than what you can get from an election alone to actually try to find out what people think about the issues.”

The results revealed that while Americans remain deeply connected to their country, they still express concern about its current direction. 

“There's a great deal of pride in the United States across the population,” Husser said. “There's a great deal of hope, but at the same time Americans tend to not look at our country as one in which everything is great.”

Respondents also expressed concern about the nation’s political future. The results showed 68% believe political divisions will worsen over the next 50 years, while 64% said they have little or no confidence that U.S. political institutions will make mostly good decisions during that time. 

Husser said political polarization was the area where respondents were most pessimistic.

“We've now basically had a generation and a half, or arguably two generations, of significant political divide in the United States, and very few people see a clear way out of deep, entrenched political polarization,” Husser said.

Despite those concerns, the survey also found Americans remain engaged with the country’s democratic ideals. When asked which moment best represented America at its highest ideals, respondents most frequently chose the Civil Rights movement. 

Abraham Lincoln was also identified as both the historical figure who best exemplified democratic ideals and the greatest president in U.S. history. 

For the America 250 celebrations, many respondents said they would prefer opportunities for reflection rather than large-scale celebrations. A majority of respondents said the anniversary should focus more on reflecting on U.S. history and values rather than celebrating national achievements, while 71% said smaller local events would feel more authentic.

Husser said those findings suggest Americans want the anniversary to acknowledge both the country’s accomplishments and its shortcomings.

“The most common response is that people were looking for events that involved reflection on the past, as well as events that were much more locally focused rather than just big national celebrations,” Husser said. 

One finding Husser said stood out most involved which moments Americans considered the country’s greatest achievements. Rather than selecting military victories or economic accomplishments, many respondents pointed to moments when the nation expanded rights and corrected past injustices. 

“The moments that people are most proud of in the United States are not necessarily moments of American achievement," Husser said. "They're moments when America finally gets it right and overcomes mistakes of its past.”

As communities across the country commemorate America's 250th birthday, Husser said the poll suggests many Americans hope the anniversary serves as not just a celebration of the nation’s history, but also as an opportunity to reflect on how its democratic ideals can continue to grow.