AXIOS (Russell Contreras) - American pride has fallen off a cliff
Data: PRRI American Identity Survey, May 1-18, 2026 , PRRI American Identity Report; Chart: Russell Contreras/Axios A profound identity crisis has gripped America ahead of its 250th birthday : Citizens are less proud, less religiously unified and losing faith that the American Dream still works. Why it matters: Democracies can survive policy brawls. They struggle to function when citizens lose faith in shared institutions, abandon a common civic story and use politics to replace religion and community. - A new survey from the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) finds that Americans are retreating into ideological camps, viewing the opposing side not as a political rival, but as threats to democracy itself. The big…