The politics of patriotism

After 250 years of nationhood, do Minnesotans believe it’s a country worth celebrating?

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2026 issue of Thinking Minnesota magazine.

As the cover of this magazine so boldly proclaims, American Experiment is proud to lead Minnesota’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This foundational document, laying out the origin of rights and responsibilities, has guided our country for 250 years and produced the greatest nation in the history of the world. Many believe the words written in the Declaration of Independence and the government it created were inspired by God. Eleven years later, when Benjamin Franklin was asked what form of government emerged from the Constitutional Convention, he delivered his famous response, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”

Whether or not we can keep it is the fundamental question facing America now, and we used the Thinking Minnesota Poll to ask Minnesotans how they feel about America — past, present, and future. The poll found a wide variety of opinions about America among Democrats and Republicans, rural residents and urban dwellers, men and women, young and old. But most respondents agreed on one thing: The Founding Fathers would be disappointed with the country and government we have today. Only seven percent said the founders would be proud of our country, while 62 percent said they would be disappointed. Asked another way, only one in five Minnesotans believe America is closely aligned with the original goals in the Declaration of Independence.

It’s a good sign that Minnesotans understand that the country has strayed from the course set by Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, Ben Franklin, and the other Founders. Admitting the problem is the first step toward recovery. But as you’ll see in the rest of our poll results, Minnesotans are sharply divided on the important question of why we’re off course, and what should be done about it.

The Thinking Minnesota Poll was conducted by Meeting Street Insights, a nationally recognized polling operation based in Charleston, S.C. Interviews were completed Feb. 16-18, 2026 among 500 registered Minnesota voters using a mix of cell phone and landline interviewing. The margin of error is +-4.38 percent.

Looking back

Sticking with the historical theme, we asked poll respondents if they believe America’s history is mostly good, mostly bad, or a pretty even mix. We asked the same question about Minnesota’s history. Minnesotans are relatively positive about the state, with 52 percent saying our state’s history has been mostly good, 12 percent mostly bad, and 31 percent a mix of both. They feel worse about our country’s history, with only 39 percent choosing mostly good, 14 percent saying mostly bad, and 45 percent a mix of both.

A partisan split emerges on these questions when you look behind the numbers. Poll respondents who self-identify as Democrats and Republicans had a difficult time removing their contemporary partisan lenses when answering questions. For example, 70 percent of Democrats believe the state’s history is mostly good, but only 23 percent rated the country’s history that way. The Democrats in the poll seem out of touch with their party’s statewide political leadership, considering they begin every meeting with a land acknowledgment and replaced Minnesota’s flag and seal because they felt it was a relic of our racist past.

In 2023, the State Emblems Redesign Commission decided not to include the statehood year (1858) on the new flag and seal. We found a massive partisan split on removing the year from the new design. Seventy-three percent of Republicans believe it’s a date worth recognizing, while 66 percent of Democrats believe it can be a painful reminder of how Dakota land was taken through treaties.

On the other side, only 34 percent of Republicans rated the state’s history as mostly good, while 54 percent were willing to rate the county that way. We didn’t spend enough time on the phone with our partisans to drill down and ask about motivations, but it appears in this question (and a few others) that Democrats favor the state because Tim Walz is governor and Republicans favor the country because Donald Trump is president. The Independents in our survey answered the way you might expect, offering identical ratings (45 percent mostly good) for both the country and state.

Young women (aged 18-54) stood out in the survey for their decidedly negative views about America. They were the least patriotic age group, splitting 34/56 on America being the best country in the world. Only 23 percent believe America’s history is mostly good, and 54 percent believe America is not a force for good in the world. Although young men are more positive about the country, the negativity from young women is a direct result of what they learned in Minnesota’s K-12 public education system.

The present

Switching from the past to the present, we next asked respondents to rate America’s actions in the world today as generally a force for good or not. We also asked how they rate America compared to other countries in the world. It should be noted that the poll was taken two weeks before the bombing of Iran on Feb. 28, 2026. Most Minnesotans (54 percent) think America is generally a force for good in the world, but once again, there is a big partisan divide. Eighty-seven percent of Republicans believe America is a force for good while 70 percent of Democrats say America is not a force for good.

The partisan divide also appeared when we asked Minnesotans whether America is the best country in the world. Fifty-six percent believe America is the best country in the world, with that majority driven by 86 percent of Republicans. It would have been great to follow up with the 66 percent of Democratic respondents who think America is not the best country to ask them which country deserves that distinction. Once again, Independents might be speaking for the state as a whole, choosing America as the best country by a two-to-one margin (60/29).

Optimism for the next 250 years?

The final three numbers from our poll provide optimism for the future of our country and state. First, a plurality of Minnesotans (47 percent) remains optimistic that America’s best years are still ahead of us. On this question, the Independents were surprisingly pessimistic, splitting 39/42. Second, 66 percent of Minnesotans believe the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is something to celebrate, not boycott. And finally, despite all the differences in attitudes and beliefs about America and its past, 87 percent of Minnesotans still consider themselves patriotic, with 53 percent identifying as very patriotic. Patriotism is a good quality to share if we hope to “keep” Ben Franklin’s republic for another 250 years.