Who Gets to Celebrate America Today?
Rethinking American ideals and identity amid ongoing immigration raids
Last week, as many Americans celebrated the Fourth of July and the promise of freedom and equal rights exalted in the Declaration of Independence, predominantly Hispanic communities cancelled their Independence Day events due to the fear of deportations.
Reflecting on the stark contrast between these two realities begs the question: What does it mean to be an American?
I am a naturalized Hispanic citizen who has spent most of my adult life in the United States. Today, I conduct public opinion polling in my role as the Director of Research at PRRI. Does the fact that I speak English, pay taxes, respect the rule of law, and believe in democracy and individuals’ freedoms make me less American than someone who shares these same attributes and commitments but was born in the United States?
Most Americans would say no. In our analysis of the attributes that individuals think are important to being "truly American," PRRI found several years ago that only 44% said being born in the United States was such a value. While a majority said being able to speak English is important (78%), nearly all Americans instead emphasized core civic values as the key to being truly American: believing in individual freedoms, such as freedom of speech (96%), accepting people of diverse racial and religious backgrounds (94%), and respecting American political institutions and laws (92%).
Further, our most recent survey, conducted in the early months of the second Trump administration, shows that 80% of Americans prefer the U.S. to be a nation made up of people from all over the world, while just 15% say they would prefer the U.S. to be a nation primarily made up of people of western European heritage. In other words, most Americans continue to affirm the idea of America as a racially and ethnically diverse country — even majorities of white evangelical Protestants and Republicans, who in recent years have become far more conservative about immigration than Americans from other faith traditions or political parties.
However, the growing influence of Christian nationalism, which promotes the idea that American identity and government should be rooted in Christianity, often tied to extreme antimigrant rhetoric and political violence, raises a troubling question: Do more Americans today believe that being a “true” American now requires being Christian? While two-thirds of Americans identify as Christians — with 40% identifying as white Christians and one in four identifying as Christians of color (25%), nearly three in ten Americans identify as religiously unaffiliated (28%) and 6% identify with non-Christian groups — there is little indication that most Americans believe the roughly one-third of all Americans who are not Christian are not truly American.
In 2022, PRRI found that fewer than half of all Americans said that believing in God (48%) is important to being “truly American,” and less than four in ten said being Christian is important (36%). This year, PRRI found a sizeable majority of Americans (70%) said they prefer the U.S. to be a nation made up of people belonging to a wider variety of religions, compared with a much smaller percentage who say they would prefer a nation primarily made up of people who follow the Christian faith (25%). A commitment, then, to a multi-faith democracy appears strong, despite efforts by Christian nationalists to break down the barriers between church and state and to promote policies that enforce a conservative Christian worldview.
As I remember preparing for my citizenship test, I cannot help but reflect on the deeper meaning of being an American, especially now that citizenship is itself under threat. I think of the words of the Pledge of Allegiance, “…one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” and ask, are these values still central to our nation?
Historically, justice for all, including the right to due process, has applied to Americans, both those born here and naturalized, as well as others who live within our borders. The Supreme Court’s recent approval of deporting immigrants to third countries without legal safeguards defies that history. Moreover, new PRRI data show that most Americans oppose the U.S. government deporting undocumented immigrants to foreign prisons without due process (61%). However, majorities of Republicans (78%), white evangelical Protestants (65%), Christian nationalism Adherents (65%) and Sympathizers (58%), and white Catholics (54%) now support such a policy.
PRRI’s data over time provides an important window into how Americans think about national identity and inclusion, showing that most people today continue to support extending legal protections to all of their fellow citizens and neighbors, regardless of race or religion. As our country’s policies shift, our polling will continue measuring public opinion to see if the conception of American identity and who deserves legal protections changes.
About the Author
Diana Orcés, Ph.D., serves as PRRI’s Director of Research. She is an experienced research professional with a background in survey research and migration. Read Diana’s recent commentary at The Hill and at PRRI.org.
More from PRRI
What happens when Christian nationalism and patriotism collide?
Following the Fourth of July, PRRI hosted a webinar featuring a panel of experts who discussed the difference between patriotism and Christian nationalism and what the growing prominence of Christian nationalism in our national politics means for the future. Watch the webinar recording.100 Days into the Trump Presidency, We Are Living in the Upside Down.
PRRI CEO Melissa Deckman, Ph.D., unpacks Americans’ views on President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office, finding that many of the second Trump administration’s policies are extraordinarily unpopular. Read more.New Poll: Six in Ten Americans Oppose Exporting Undocumented Immigrants to Foreign Prisons Without Due Process
A recent PRRI survey of more than 5,000 adults shows that 61% of Americans oppose the U.S. government deporting undocumented immigrants to foreign prisons in El Salvador, Rwanda, or Libya, without allowing them to challenge their deportation in court. Read more.