Almost half of Americans believe another song should be the National Anthem

 NEW YORK, NY – June 25, 2015 – As towns across the country plan their annual Independence Day parades and firework shows they may have great turnouts as four in five Americans (79%) say they are patriotic. But, they may not have as many young Americans there as three in ten 18-29 year olds (30%) and over one-quarter (27%) of those 30-39 say they are not patriotic. That changes as one ages – almost nine in ten (88%) of those 55 and older say they are patriotic.

This are the results of an online survey conducted by Regina Corso Consulting among 2,062 U.S. adults 18 and older between June 11 and 15, 2016.

The National Anthem

Recently there has been discussion about changing the National Anthem and one reason sometimes given is people just don’t know what it is. Well, that’s not the case as four in five Americans (80%), when given a list of five patriotic songs, say The Star Spangled Banner is the National Anthem. One in ten (10%) say it is God Bless America while smaller numbers say it is America the Beautiful (5%), My Country ‘Tis of Thee (4%), and Battle Hymn of the Republic (1%).

Those who want change may have some public support behind them. While over half (55%) of Americans say The Star Spangled Banner should be the National Anthem, almost half say it should be another song. More than one in five (22%) believe God Bless America should be the National Anthem, while 10% say it should be America the Beautiful, 7% My Country ‘Tis of Thee, 2% Battle Hymn of the Republic and 4% believe it should be something else.

Musings

Do Americans become more patriotic as they age? If Americans do not progressively become more patriotic, what does that mean for future decades? It may not matter what the National Anthem is down the road if there is a waning sense of patriotism. But, perhaps looking at it as a glass half full instead of empty, maybe this isn’t a sense of moving away from the U.S, but toward something new as younger generations view the U.S. as part of a larger world. These younger Americans are the first to grow up with the Internet and the connectivity that brings – this could not be diminishing patriotism but opening their eyes to something new and more far-reaching. Maybe we need a new word to encompass this new viewpoint.

About Regina Corso Consulting:

Regina Corso Consulting is a full service research firm specializing on research for public release. They provide research for agencies and companies to help them drive their PR. For more information, please visit ReginaCorsoConsulting.com.

Methodology:

This online survey was conducted by Regina Corso Consulting between June 11 and 15, 2015 among 2.062 U.S. adults, aged 18 and older. Data was collected by Toluna on behalf of Regina Corso Consulting. Figures for age, gender, education, income, employment and region were weighted to being them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate, no estimates of sampling error can be calculated.

Table One

How Patriotic Are You?

“How patriotic would you say you are?”

All adults

Note: Results may not equal 100% because of rounding

Table Two

Do Americans Know What the National Anthem is?

“Which of the following songs is the National Anthem of the United States?”

All adults

Note: Results may not equal 100% because of rounding; * indicates less than 0.5%

Table Three

What song should be the National Anthem?

“Which of the following songs do you think should be the National Anthem of the U.S.?”

All adults

Note: Results may not equal 100% because of rounding

Table Four

What is the 4^th of July?

“Of these, what does the 4^th of July most mean to you? While it may mean all of these, please choose the one it most means to you?”

All adults

Note: Results may not equal 100% because of rounding