Pew Research on What Makes People Proud of Their Country?

Nate Shivar

What makes people proud of their country? -> https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2026/02/17/what-makes-people-proud-of-their-country/

I absolutely love this and find it so fascinating. The US is spot on. “Liberty” and “freedom” are definitely the defaults, and what I would fellow American to say. I would add in our public lands, natural beauty, and optimism.

I also find the split between having / being / shared concepts to be interesting. For example, Italy is proud of their heritage (something Italians have) while Spain is proud of their “Spanish way of being” (something Spaniards are) while the US is proud of “freedoms and liberties” (a shared concept among Americans). And it’s across the world too – Sweden is proud of having a strong democracy while Japan is proud of being hardworking & sincere while Australia is proud of their shared concept of “mateship”.

The survey & responses really highlight how pride can be positive sum status game. More patriotism and less nationalism, please.

Nate Shivar

I'm Nate Shivar - I live in Atlanta and love exploring the city, public lands, books & Internet. Read about me or my work. Contact via email.

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