On America's birthday, few express pride in political system

As the United States prepares for the Fourth of July, overall national pride is at an all-time low. Happy birthday, America!

A new Gallup poll shows that while 70 percent of U.S. adults say they are proud to be an American, only 45 percent are "extremely proud" – marking the lowest point since Gallup started this survey in 2001. This is the second year in a row that the survey has shown the "extremely proud" response to be below the majority.

Of the topics that make Americans proud, the country's political system was the least popular choice. Just under one-third of U.S. adults said the political system made them proud.

Conversely, American scientific achievements, at 91 percent, and the U.S. military, at 89 percent, were the top two sources of pride for those surveyed this year.

Historically, American pride among Democrats who have taken this Gallup poll has always been lower than that of Republicans. The trend continued this year with only 22 percent of Democrats reporting they are "extremely proud," compared to 76 percent of Republicans and 41 percent of independents.

Women, liberals and young adults also reported lower levels of extreme American pride compared to other groups who took the poll.

The results of this Gallup poll came from a random sample of 1,015 adults, who represent all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The poll was conducted June 3-16.