Poll: High School Students Show High Levels of Patriotism - And in College, Not So Much
A new poll finds that patriotism runs strong America’s high school students, but that value is less evident in college.
The 2020 Youth Patriotism Index was released by the Young America’s Foundation and Townhall on their websites.
The gap between what high school students and college students think was a recurring theme in the survey, which found that 66 percent of high school students believe America is exceptional, but only 47 percent of college students believe that.
Regardless of how the question was asked, the pattern was the same. The survey found that 55 percent of high school students think the U.S. is a good example for other nations. Thirty-seven percent of college students believe that.
The poll found that 70 percent of high school students have a favorable view of the nation’s history, but a mere 44 percent of college students see America’s history favorably. Pride in the nation flows through 63 percent of high school students and 40 percent of college students.
The survey found that 75 percent of those in high school are “extremely” or “very” comfortable standing for the national anthem, while only 50 percent in college are comfortable doing so.
July 4th poll: College spoils patriotism in high schoolers. @itsSpencerBrown of @yaf ‘Leftist orthodoxy has a comfy home in higher ed. Biased or incomplete lessons on America’s history go unchallenged because conservative ideas are not welcomed.’ https://t.co/MWZ8ZUkejy pic.twitter.com/rGKijwt4p5
— Paul Bedard (@SecretsBedard) July 1, 2020
“Are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world?” No.
If universities receive public funds, they should also teach required courses that strengthen patriotism, not erode it. https://t.co/cNczhGorco
— Closeted News Junkie (@NewsCloset) July 1, 2020
Exclusive @townhallcom @yaf polling has some much needed good news about American youth today. ?? https://t.co/z1a8hnYXcw
— Ellie Bufkin (@ellie_bufkin) July 1, 2020
There are some areas of common ground.
Seventy-nine percent of all students are glad they live in America. But protecting it is another issue. Only 40 percent said they are “extremely” or “very” willing to sacrifice for the nation and 34 percent said they would be “extremely” or “very willing” to serve in the military to defend the nation if it is attacked.
“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,” Young America’s Foundation spokesman Spencer Brown said in a statement on the group’s website.
“The 2020 Youth Patriotism Index suggests we ought to consider a question posed to America by Ronald Reagan: Are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world?”
Brown also told Washington Examiner columnist Paul Bedard that college has become toxic to patriotism.
“It’s clear that leftist orthodoxy has a comfy home in higher education. Biased or incomplete lessons on America’s history go unchallenged because, all-too-often, important conservative ideas (and the students who hold them) are not welcomed,” he told Bedard.
“In some cases, universities go so far as to regulate conservative speech into silence, running afoul of the constitutional rights owed to all students. The liberal echo chamber creates students who, even though they may view the United States and what it stands for favorably, shy away from identifying as patriotic due to fear of leftist intolerance,” he said.
The survey of 800 current high school students and 800 current college students was conducted by Echelon Insights between June 21 and June 25.
No margin of error was published.
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