Gallup: “At 250 Years, 77% Say U.S. Founders Would Be Disappointed”

The Founding Fathers were not perfect. They made a major omission in the Constitution that led to the deaths of more than 600 thousand soldiers in the battle for slavery in the Civil War.

The Fathers did not give women the right to vote.

The Fathers did not really implement the idea of “All men are created equal.” It is in the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence that was written by Thomas Jefferson that was released on our birthday, July 4, 1776.

However, they did eventually pass the Bill of Rights that gave individual freedoms to all Americans. They have made a system that has lasted for 250 years and made many people proud.

We have soldiers who fought World War II and destroyed two horrible dictators. We have been proud of this country for centuries.

Now, 250 years later, as we celebrate our birthday, the vast majority of Americans do not think that America now reflects those values, that the Founders would be disappointed.

That is sad.

Gallup Findings

This is the basis of the finding of Gallup’s poll that was released earlier this week,

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, just 19% of Americans say the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be pleased with how the country has turned out.

Just over three in four Americans (77%) now say the founders would be disappointed, compared with 71% in 2013 and 42% in 2001. The latest findings come from a May 2026 Gallup survey.

[The Question] Thinking for a moment about the Declaration of Independence, overall, do you think the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be pleased or disappointed by the way the United States has turned out?

Gallup June 24, 2026

What is sad, is that the 77 percent was only 42 percent in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. That is frightening, and it says much about the fact that many people are not celebrating this birthday.

Back in our bicentennial, in 1976, Americans were happy with the country, despite the horrific scandal called Watergate.

What has changed?

Some good news

Now, Americans are despondent, but the news was not all bad,

Seven in 10 Say the U.S. Has Made Some Progress Toward Its Founding Ideals

Americans provide a more positive assessment when evaluating the progress the country has made in 250 years. About seven in 10 Americans say the nation has had a great deal (20%) or a fair amount (49%) of success in achieving the ideals on which the country was founded.

{Question] Looking at America in our 250th year, how much do you think we have succeeded over these 250 years in achieving the ideals for which this country was founded, as you understand them — a great deal, a fair amount, not very much or not at all?

Gallup June 2026

This is despondent, and I am one of them, but we have been through some more difficult times. Hopefully, our optimism will return at some point.