PBS NewsHour, NPR and Marist poll: 83% of Americans say the country has strayed from founding ideals

A new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll released July 1 finds that 83% of U.S. adults say the country has strayed from the founding principles associated with the nation’s founding, as Americans prepare to mark the United States’ 250th anniversary.

The poll asks respondents whether the country has moved away from the ideals the country was founded on about 250 years ago. Among those who say the country has moved away from those ideals, 47% say the United States has “moved far away,” while 36% say America has “moved” away from these principles, according to PBS NewsHour’s report on the poll.

Taken together, the results indicate that most Americans who view the nation as having departed from its founding ideals do so with a relatively strong assessment, with roughly more than half of the “strayed” group describing the shift as having moved far away rather than more moderately.

The poll’s findings arrive at a moment when national attention is focused on the milestone anniversary and debates over the country’s past and direction. PBS NewsHour’s coverage frames the results as part of a broader public conversation occurring alongside 250th anniversary planning and events.

While the poll reflects attitudes about the nation’s guiding ideals, it does not, by itself, identify specific policy causes or which institutions Americans blame for the change. The results also do not break down responses in the reported summary by party affiliation, ideology, or demographic groupings.

In the near term, the survey adds to the public record of how Americans view the country’s trajectory heading into the anniversary. It may be cited by lawmakers, advocacy groups, and media outlets as they argue over what it would mean to “return” to founding principles, though translating the sentiment captured in the poll into concrete policy priorities would require additional evidence beyond the survey’s topline question.