The civic consensus beneath America’s political divide

Nearly three-quarters of Americans—74%—believe their fellow citizens have more in common than what divides them. That finding from a March 2026 UMass Poll might surprise anyone following today’s politics, where the picture looks bleak. Trust in government is low, confidence in public institutions has eroded, and partisans increasingly view one another with suspicion. As the United States passes its 250th anniversary, even the national celebration has become another arena for political conflict. A recent Gallup survey found that 77% of Americans believe the nation’s founders would be disappointed in the state of the country today.

The Gallup finding captures a real mood—but civic disappointment and civic solidarity can coexist. The UMass Poll suggests that Americans remain more united in their civic identity than in their politics. America’s politics is deeply polarized, but its civic culture is considerably more cohesive than many of our daily political battles would suggest.

By civic cohesion, I mean the shared belief that despite our political disagreements, we remain one people, committed to common democratic ideals and a common future. We may disagree sharply about how those ideals should be realized, but they remain a shared point of reference.

Scholars and journalists have devoted enormous attention to polarization—and rightly so. Americans disagree deeply over public policy, political leaders, and even basic facts. But democratic health depends on more than the intensity of political disagreement. It also depends on whether citizens continue to see themselves as participants in a common civic enterprise. That dimension of American democracy has received far less attention.

The distinction becomes clear when Americans are asked about the nation’s 250th anniversary. It is not that Americans are especially enthusiastic about the celebration itself. Only 37% describe it as “a proud national milestone,” while nearly one-quarter (24%) say they do not think much about it. Another 18% regard it as largely symbolic. In other words, Americans are approaching the anniversary with a mixture of pride, ambivalence, and reflection rather than overwhelming patriotic fervor.

But when we move beyond the celebration itself and ask broader questions about the nation’s civic foundations, a very different picture emerges. In addition to a widespread sense of commonality, the figure below also shows that Americans continue to affirm a shared political community. Nearly two-thirds (63%) agree that the United States is one nation with a shared history and common future and should never be divided. And Americans remain attached to the principles of the founding. A clear majority (59%) say the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence still guide the country in meaningful ways.

Finally, Americans continue to believe the national project is one of progress, even if incomplete. Fifty-seven percent say the country has achieved its founding ideals either “a great deal” or “a moderate amount.” In other words, most Americans see that the nation has moved meaningfully toward its aspirations while recognizing there is still work to be done.

Taken together, these findings suggest a level of civic cohesion that is easy to overlook amid today’s political combat. Americans may disagree intensely over elections, policies, and political leaders, but substantial majorities continue to express attachment to one another, to the nation’s constitutional ideals, and to a shared national future.

Importantly, almost equal shares of Democrats (79%) and Republicans (76%) believe Americans have more in common than what divides them. Yes, some differences emerge. A majority of Democrats (51%) compared to three-quarters of Republicans (75%) say the declaration’s ideals still guide the country in meaningful ways. Likewise, 63% of Democrats and 75% of Republicans agree that the United States remains one nation with a shared history and common future. These differences of degree do not erase the common ground.

These partisan distinctions reflect two longstanding American approaches over how democratic progress is best achieved rather than over whether the American project remains worth pursuing. For some responses, Republicans are generally more inclined to judge today’s America against the nation’s inherited institutions and traditions, seeing continuity with the past as evidence of success. Democrats are more likely to evaluate America against its unrealized aspirations, emphasizing reform and change as the means of bringing the country closer to its founding ideals. Both perspectives begin from the same inheritance. They disagree primarily about how best to advance it.

That distinction matters because democracies frequently have strong disagreements over policies. But they do need a willingness to recognize political opponents as fellow citizens engaged in a common civic enterprise. Citizens can disagree passionately about immigration, taxation, abortion, or the proper size of government while still believing they belong to the same political community.

The founders themselves demonstrated as much. They fiercely disagreed over what the new republic should become. The debates over the Constitution, the scope of federal power, the national economy, and foreign policy were often bitter. That sounds familiar. What united them was not political agreement but a shared commitment to building and sustaining a common civic enterprise. The Constitution itself emerged from those disagreements, creating institutions through which future conflicts could be contested without dissolving the nation.

The country’s politics often tells Americans they inhabit two separate nations. Our survey suggests otherwise. Beneath today’s partisan conflict remains a surprisingly durable civic consensus. Americans have become deeply skeptical of politics without abandoning the civic foundations that make democratic politics possible. They continue to believe they share a common national inheritance, even while disagreeing sharply over how well the nation has lived up to it.

As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, the challenge is not only to manage political disagreement but preserve the civic cohesion that allows disagreement to remain a contest among fellow citizens rather than a struggle among rival nations. Civic and political leaders who build from this common foundation—rather than mining partisan divisions for short-term advantage—will find more public support than today’s polarized atmosphere might suggest.