A new survey from YouGov shows that just 47% of Americans feel proud of the United States — and only 41% of young Americans. Gallup polls over time show the lowest level of national pride ever in 2025, falling from a high of 90%. By contrast, 58% of Americans in the YouGov survey expressed state pride. Some states are even prouder than that, with 79% of citizens of Minnesota and Michigan feeling proud of their states.
Puerto Rico was not included in these surveys, but it’s fair to say that Puerto Ricans are proud of Puerto Rico. In fact, this pride is sometimes used in arguments for one political status over another. In particular, arguments in favor of independence tend to focus on the issue of nationwide pride.
Yet it is clear that statehood is a source of pride for many if not most Americans.
State pride is an American custom
Americans are proud of their states. We didn’t really need to see the surveys to know this. State mottoes and nicknames show it. Minnesota is “the Star of the North.” California is “the Golden State.” Alabama is “Alabama, the Beautiful.” Hawaii is “Paradise of the Pacific.” New Mexico is the “Land of Enchantment.”
States consider their own foods, recreational opportunities, and cities the best. State sports teams are followed obsessively. State flags and symbols abound and are shown everywhere, along with “I 
[name of state]” signs.
Some states are particularly well-known for their state pride.
But each state has its own reasons for sincere belief that it is the best of all the states. Each state celebrates its statehood admission day, and some have also declared an unofficial “national day.”
The diverse identities of the fifty states contribute to this phenomenon. Texans’ pride in their state’s rugged, independent history is distinct from Californians’ boast of their culture of innovation and natural beauty, or New Yorkers’ allegiance to the dynamic energy of their state’s famed metropolis. These differences are celebrated and embraced, often fueling friendly rivalries and strong community bonds. Whether it’s the distinctive cuisine of Louisiana, the unique dialect of the Midwest, or the shared sense of resilience in the face of harsh winters in New England, these cultural touchstones are a source of profound pride. This feeling is passed down through generations, taught in local schools, and reinforced through community events, creating a strong sense of shared heritage and belonging that defines a significant part of the American experience.
A state of Puerto Rico would continue to be just as proud of Puerto Rico as the territory of Puerto Rico.
National pride
An independent Republic of Puerto Rico could also maintain the same level of pride. Indeed, several U.S. states continue to show pride in their previous existence as nations. Some residents of California continue to fly the flag of its brief stint as a nation.
Vermont, too, has a flag from its brief independence. It is still used by the state National Guard.
States which used to be independent often consider their national pride an important element of their heritage, and of their current pride in their state.
Former U.S. territory the Philippines is known for its high level of national pride, which hovers around 99%.
Territory status
Puerto Ricans are proud of Puerto Rico, and the other inhabited territories show the same pride in their cultural heritage, but territory status is not in and of itself something people generally take pride in. Indeed, Puerto Rico leaders have often claimed that Puerto Rico is not “a mere territory.”
The phrase comes from the work of Giuseppe Mazzini, an activist for the movement to unite Italy, who wrote, “A Country is not a mere territory; the particular territory is only its foundation. The Country is the idea that rises upon that foundation; it is the sentiment of love, the sense of fellowship that binds together all the sons of that territory. So long as a single one of your brothers is not represented by his own vote in the development of the national life —so long as a single one vegetates uneducated among the educated—so long as a single one able and willing to work languishes in poverty for want of work—you have not got a Country as it ought to be, the Country of all and for all. Votes, education, work are the three main pillars of the nation; do not rest until your hands have solidly erected them.”
Mazzini, writing in 1844, was not thinking about unincorporated territories of the United States, but these territories do not have votes in the development of America’s national life, and Puerto Rico’s opportunities for work and education are limited enough that people continue to leave the Island for the states in search of better opportunities.
Territory status is not as conducive to pride as the other political status options available to Puerto Rico: independence and statehood.
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