Many posts have discussed patriotism and American exceptionalism. Religion is part of the story.
Just 44% of Americans agree with the idea that God has granted America a special role in human history, compared with a slim majority who disagree (52%). Agreement with this idea was relatively high in the early and mid-2010s, around 60 percent. Beginning in 2020, however, agreement dropped significantly to 40% and has since remained relatively stable in the low-to-mid 40s through 2026.
The partisan gap on American exceptionalism has widened sharply over the past decade. While Republican agreement that God has granted America a special role has remained relatively stable — dipping from 75% in 2012 to 63% in 2022, with about seven in ten agreeing today — Democratic support has collapsed, falling from 60% to just 27%. Independents declined as well, hitting a low of 35% in 2020 before a modest recovery to 40% in 2026.
In 2012, majorities of nearly all religious groups agreed that God has granted America a special role in human history. Today, only four religious subgroups hold this view. Most Latter-day Saints (80%), white evangelical Protestants (75%), Hispanic Protestants (64%), and Black Protestants (52%) agree that God has a special role for America. By contrast, less than half of every other major religious group agrees with this statement, including 49% of white Catholics, 47% of white mainline/ non-evangelical Protestants, 44% of Hispanic Catholics, 34% of Jewish Americans, 32% of other non-Christians, and only 21% of religiously unaffiliated Americans. Since 2022, white evangelical Protestants (from 68%) and religiously unaffiliated Americans (from 16%) have become more likely to agree.
