Americans take a group selfie before a women’s volleyball match between the United State and Italy in Omaha, Nebraska, July 23, 2015. (AP Photo)
How do Americans view themselves? As patriotic, honest, selfish and lazy, according to a recent Pew Research survey.
Most (79 percent) say the term “patriotic” fits the average American very well or fairly well. The majority also think the typical American is “honest” (69 percent) and “intelligent” (67 percent).
But Americans can also be self-critical. More than two-thirds (68 percent) believe the term “selfish” also applies to the typical American. Half of the American public says their fellow countrymen and women can aptly be described as “lazy.”
However, while 50 percent of respondents viewed Americans as lazy, very few referred to themselves as lazy.
On average, younger people are more negative when assessing their fellow Americans. More millennials — people ranging in age from 18 to 33 — are likely to see Americans as lazy.
The public’s skepticism extends to political issues. Sixty-three percent say they have “not very much” confidence or “no confidence at all” in the political wisdom of the American people. That’s a big difference from 2007, when 57 percent had a good deal of trust and confidence in the American people’s political wisdom.
Demographics????
Patriotic? No, half don’t vote, not many put out the flag on the 4th, many don’t know much about our history or care. Honest? About as honest as a person from anywhere else. Selfish? A big YES. Have no clue about how the rest of the world lives, actually believes that everyone else has had the “American experience” of abundance, law and order, credit cards, running water, and all the other goodies associated with living in our culture. Our jails and prisons are the Ritz compared to some of the hellholes around the world. This elevated standard of living causes incorrect thinking, and a lot of the problems this country has comes from this inflated,unreal view point. We think that because we have more of everything, (material), that it makes us right in all we do and say; that we are number one in everything. That arrogance is our downfall. Lazy? Another big YES. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. Most of us live through playing video games and online relationships. The rest of us self medicate legally or illegally instead of facing problems.