While Republicans may be more likely to consider themselves patriotic, a new survey has found a growing pessimism in the party, with seven out of 10 saying they feel the country has peaked.
A poll from CNN has found that in total, 70% of Republicans hold the sentiment that the country’s best days are gone, which has skyrocketed since the summer of 2016 when only 49% held the same opinion, and even more since 2019, when only 18% thought the U.S. was past its prime.
The latest poll from CNN shows the differing pessimism that constantly fluctuates with the changing of leadership in the country.
The poll also examined what Republican-aligned voters thought was the biggest threat to America’s culture, of which 38% named increasing racial and ethnic diversity. 78% of respondents also said society’s values on sexual orientation and gender identity are changing for the worse.
The American Principles Project ran a poll last month examining the issues they deemed most important for potential candidates to support, and 76% said they were more likely to back those who want to ban transgender procedures for minors.
Cultural issues have become more pressing concerns for Republicans as of late, especially when compared to establishment issues, the poll found.
Worries about the future of the country have been present for at least the last two years, with an NPR/Ipsos poll from the beginning of 2022 finding that two out of three respondents thought the country’s democracy was at “more risk” than ever before. Looking at just Republicans, that number was 80%.
While former President Trump is looking to get back in office, which could change the opinions of some Republican voters on the nation’s future, the party does not appear to be as unified behind him as they were during the last two elections.
Numerous polls continue to show that the former president has support, but so does Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has yet to announce he is running for the nominee but remains the top or second choice for the party.
The CNN poll was conducted from March 8-12, with 1,045 respondents participating. There is a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
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