Gallup: Most Americans Say Founders Would Be Disappointed at 250th Anniversary

A May 2026 Gallup poll shows 77% of Americans think the Declaration signers would be disappointed with today’s U.S., while 19% say they would be pleased; responses have shifted lower over time and across parties. About 70% say the U.S. has achieved at least a fair amount of its founding ideals, though this is well below peaks in 2002 and 1976. Republicans are likelier to say the founders would be pleased (25%), independents 21%, Democrats 13%, with similar patterns across age, race, and income. The data suggest a shared sense of progress toward founding ideals but dissatisfaction with the current state of the country.