US Confidence Collapses before its 250th; US-UK 'Special Relationship' May be Facing Biggest Test since Suez

On America’s 250th anniversary, pride is fractured — fewer than half feel “very proud,” with sharp partisan divides and broad concern the nation has strayed from its founding ideals. (Credit: U.S. Army USAGJ/WikiMedia Commons)

As the United States prepares to mark 250 years as a republic, a sweeping new survey has captured a nation that is proud, pessimistic and profoundly divided — all at once.

Fewer than half of Americans describe themselves as 'very proud' of their nationality, according to a poll commissioned by The Economist and conducted by YouGov, which surveyed more than 1,500 Americans on the eve of the country's semiquincentennial.