WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Duane Mitchell has big plans for the United States鈥� 250th anniversary.
Mitchell, a 78-year-old veteran in Montana, plans to take a red, white and blue 1954 Chevrolet pickup that he restored and drive it in local parades for the Fourth of July. In honor of the country鈥檚 milestone anniversary, he bought a decorative eagle to mount on the back of the truck, accompanied by American flags.
鈥淚鈥檒l be driving my pickup,鈥� he said, referring to his role in the parades. 鈥淯sually we freeze a whole bunch of candy, and I have a couple of kids from down the block who get in the back and throw candy out. Everybody loves it.鈥�
Mitchell isn’t the only one looking forward to this year’s festivities. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults feel 鈥減roud鈥� about the country’s 250th anniversary, according to a new survey from . Roughly 3 in 10 say 鈥渆xcited鈥� describes their emotions. The milestone will be marked with events across the country, and President Donald Trump has planned several for the nation鈥檚 capital, including a .
But as the celebrations begin, many Americans also feel indifferent or conflicted about celebrating the country. Other Gallup polling shows that most Americans now feel the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be disappointed with how the U.S. has turned out, a substantial increase from 25 years ago.
Most Republicans and older adults feel proud
Most Republicans say that 鈥減roud鈥� or 鈥渆xcited鈥� describes how they are feeling about the United States鈥� 250th anniversary. About 7 in 10 Republicans say pride describes their emotions, compared to about 3 in 10 independents and roughly 2 in 10 Democrats.
Older Americans 鈥� those ages 60 and older 鈥� are also mostly feeling proud, with about 6 in 10 saying this describes how they feel about the nation鈥檚 anniversary.
Mitchell, the Montana veteran, wants the country to be 鈥渃elebrating it to the maximum.鈥� As a Vietnam War veteran who was drafted into the war, he wants Americans to remember the men and women who have given their lives to protect the freedoms they have today.
鈥淚t was a sacrifice,鈥� Mitchell said, referring to his service. 鈥淭he most important thing about the celebration is understanding that freedom is not free, and it never will be free, so you need to celebrate that.鈥�
About half of Republicans, 54%, say they feel excited about the country鈥檚 anniversary.
As the country marks 250 years of independence, most Americans believe the country has succeeded in achieving its founding ideals, according to new Gallup polling. About 7 in 10 U.S. adults say that America has succeeded 鈥渁 great deal鈥� or 鈥渁 fair amount鈥� in achieving the ideals for which the country was founded. That view is shared by a majority of Democrats, independents and Republicans 鈥� though Republicans are especially likely to say the country has succeeded.
Democrats and young people feel conflicted or indifferent
More Democrats and young people say 鈥渃onflicted鈥� or 鈥渋ndifferent鈥� describes their feelings about America 250.
About 4 in 10 Democrats and roughly 3 in 10 adults under 30 say 鈥渃onflicted鈥� describes their feelings 鈥渆xtremely鈥� or 鈥渧ery鈥� well. About 3 in 10 in each case feel 鈥渋ndifferent.鈥�
Laura Davis, a 44-year-old in Chicago who identifies as a progressive liberal, has struggled with what she describes as the 鈥淎merican declarations of grandiosity鈥� this year, including Trump’s and the repainting of the . She believes that money could be better spent on Americans in need, as well as international aid, and she worries the country’s reputation is being damaged by the Trump administration’s actions.
鈥淚t doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate the things that do make America a unique and in some ways exceptional place to be,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I think it’s more nuanced than that, and I hope that doesn’t get lost in the celebration.鈥�
About 8 in 10 Americans say the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be disappointed with how the country has turned out, according to a new Gallup poll. Only about 2 in 10 say the signers would be pleased. That鈥檚 down significantly from 1999 鈥� the first time the question was asked 鈥� when 55% believed they would be disappointed and 44% said they would be pleased.
Sydney Crispin, a 39-year-old Democrat in Maine, believes the country’s 鈥渋ncredible鈥� foundation is worth celebrating. Still, she is conflicted by what she sees as a decline in people’s ability to have respectful discourse, something she believes is at the heart of America’s identity. She hopes communities find ways to celebrate the remarkable parts of America this Fourth of July while still reflecting on its areas for improvement.
Celebrating the 250th: Spending time with friends or family tops on list
Just under half, 44%, of U.S. adults plan to celebrate the country鈥檚 250th anniversary by spending time with friends or family, according to a recent Gallup-With Honor poll. About 3 in 10 U.S. adults say they plan to watch coverage of America 250 events on television or social media.
More than half of adults ages 65 and older plan to celebrate with friends or family, while nearly half plan to watch coverage of the event on television or social media. Adults under 30 are more likely to say they are not planning to celebrate at all.
The Gallup-With Honor poll found about 2 in 10 U.S. adults plan to participate in a neighborhood or community event, while approximately 1 in 10 say they will be attending an official America 250 event.
Lyle Nelson, a 67-year-old in Idaho, said he plans to maintain his tradition of watching the annual Macy鈥檚 firework show at home.
Nelson 鈥� who agrees with a lot of what Trump has done in office 鈥� remarked that even though Trump was disappointed that he did not get reelected in 2020, he might be pleased that he’s the one in the White House during this historic event.
鈥淚 wonder if he鈥檚 thankful that he gets to be president during the 250th anniversary,鈥� Nelson said. 鈥淚 think he’ll be excited for that.鈥�
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The AP-NORC poll of 2,596 adults was conducted April 16-20 using a sample drawn from NORC鈥檚 probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
The Gallup-With Honor poll of 3,199 adults was conducted May 12-22 using a sample drawn from Gallup’s probability-based panel. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 2.1 percentage points. The separate Gallup poll of 1,001 adults was conducted May 1-17 using a sample drawn from Gallup鈥檚 probability-based panel. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.
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