How Americans Are Feeling About the U.S. as the Country Turns 250
The value that Americans place in democracy has also dropped somewhat, according to the AP-NORC poll, though not as significantly: 66% of respondents in the April survey agreed that “a democratically elected government” is “extremely important”––down from 76% in 2024 and 80% in 2021.
The AP-NORC poll additionally showed that nearly half of Americans believe that freedom the of speech is under “major threat,” while 35% believe the same of the right to vote and 28% of the freedom of religion.
Most feel the “American Dream” is out of reach
When asked if they believed the American dream—“that if you work hard you’ll get ahead”—currently holds true, 66% of respondents in the AP-NORC poll disagreed. That figure is consistent with the findings from 2024 and 2025.
Responses were significantly split across party lines, however: 17% of Democrats surveyed this year believed the American dream holds true today, versus 57% of Republicans. Men were also more likely to believe in the truth of the American dream, at 39%, compared to women, at 29%, and older adults—those 60 years and older—were more likely to believe it than those aged 18-29, at 46% versus 22%, respectively.
