Are you a bad citizen?
Article excerpt
What makes a person a bad citizen in the eyes of their fellow Americans, and how has that changed over time? The American Enterprise Institute took a survey to find out. The new survey of parents was conducted by the Public Agenda Foundation in 1998. AEI repeated verbatim many of the questions from that survey […]
What makes a person a bad citizen in the eyes of their fellow Americans, and how has that changed over time? The American Enterprise Institute took a survey to find out.
The new survey of parents was conducted by the Public Agenda Foundation in 1998. AEI repeated verbatim many of the questions from that survey and added new ones. Parents in both years embraced the ideals the nation’s founders described, yet parents today are more critical of the way they think about the nation. They are less likely to judge certain behaviors of their fellow citizens negatively, a striking change in the roughly 30-year period. And, while they think history must be actively taught, they are less insistent on rigorous methods and practice for students.
On three of the five questions that asked parents about what constituted a bad citizen, more than 10 points separated parents in 1998 and parents today. Seventy-seven percent of parents in 1998 said they would consider someone to be a bad citizen if the person without children gets government assistance, such as welfare, even if they are able to work. In 2026, only 64% agreed. Slightly more than a third, 35% in 2026, would not use the bad citizen label, up from 19% in 1998.
Parents in 1998 viewed voting as a higher civic obligation than parents in the new poll. Fifty-one percent in 1998 said a person who is able to vote but never does would be a bad citizen in their judgment. Only 38% gave that response in the new poll, while 61% would not call the person a bad citizen.
Another question asked whether a person who refuses to work with people from different racial and ethnic groups is a bad citizen. By most polling measures today, people are more critical of discrimination than they were in the past, and the results of the question confirm this. Seven-in-10 said this person would be a bad person in 1998, compared with 85% now.
Perhaps surprising were the responses to a question about standing for the national anthem. Parents were generally in agreement across the 30-year period when asked about a person who makes it a point never to stand when the national anthem is played during public events. Fifty-eight percent in 1998 and 51% in 2026 said this person would be a bad citizen in their eyes. Nearly half in 2026 disagreed that this person would be a bad citizen, up ten points from the 1998 response. Athletes weren’t taking a knee in 1998, but Public Agenda reported that there were smatterings of protest when the national anthem was sung.
A display of American flags hangs from a iron fence around a home before the Fourth of July holiday Sunday, June 29, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
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Roughly identical shares of parents, 36% in 1998 and 34% today, said a person who knows virtually nothing about America’s Founding Fathers would be a bad citizen, but solid majorities in both years said they wouldn’t characterize the person that way. In both years, in other survey questions, people prioritized learning basic academic and social skills over understanding the ideas and history that tie all of us together. Parents in both years also showed a lack of ready knowledge of some national milestones. So perhaps their unwillingness to judge others on this score isn’t surprising.
Other questions show that parents today are less likely to describe their country positively than they were in 1998 and are less concerned about the rigorous study of certain ideas. In 1998, 84% of them, and 62% now, believe that the United States is a unique country that stands for something special in the world. In 1998, half of parents said they would be upset if a teacher constantly criticized America’s economic and political system. Today, 32% give that response, while 42% would be somewhat concerned.
AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY GIFT SHOULD BE CIVIC VIRTUE
Parents in both years, by substantial margins, 91% in 1998 and 81% in 2026, believe students should be required to study U.S. history so they can understand what the nation stands for. Fewer than 20% in both years said students should be able to opt out of the requirement if they didn’t enjoy studying U.S. history.
Parents help transmit values to the next generation, and with educators, they need to help preserve and perpetuate a reverence for the country’s civic ideals. It is hard to imagine a pollster today asking a question about what constitutes a bad citizen. As the America 250 celebrations recede from our memories, perhaps we should think anew about calling out behaviors that undermine these ideals.
Karlyn Bowman is a senior fellow emeritus at the American Enterprise Institute.