Most Americans think the US is one of the greatest countries in the world

It is not unusual to hear Americans chant “USA, USA” during various moments to show support for their country and a recent poll seems to confirm that the American exceptionalism is well and alive.

Most of the Americans remain positive about their nation’s standing in the world considering the United States among the greatest countries in the world, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

A majority of the public (85%) says either that the United States “stands above all other countries in the world” (29%) or that it is “one of the greatest countries, along with some others” (56%).Only 14% consider there are “other countries better than the US”.

The results confirm that views have changed very little in recent years. The political sympathies are also important when considering confidence in America’s greatness.

Republicans more likely than Democrats to say the US is superior to other nations

Republicans are more likely than Democrats t to say the U.S. “stands above” all other nations, according to the survey.

About four-in-ten Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (41%) say the U.S. stands above other countries. The percentage of Democrats and Democratic leaners who have a similar view is almost half, 19%.

The majority of the respondents say the US is among the greatest nations, rather than saying it is superior.

Compared to 2015, these views remains very similar, with 60% of Democrats and 52% of Republicans saying the U.S. is one of the greatest countries in the world.

Both parties are divided ideologically in views of the nation’s global standing. Nearly half of conservative Republicans (47%) say the U.S. stands above all other nations, compared with 30% of moderate and liberal Republicans.

On the other hands, Democrats are less likely to say the US stands above other nations. Just 13% of the liberals think this is true. Nearly three-in-ten liberal Democrats (29%) say there are other countries better than the US, while only 13% of conservative and moderate Democrats say the same.

Adults 65 and older are the most likely to say the US stands above all other nation

Age also plays an important role in influencing the answer to America’s position in the world. Older Americans are more likely than younger Americans to see the US as one of the world’s greatest nations. Those who are the most likely to say the US stands above all other nations are adults 65 and older (44%). Just 12% of those younger than 30 year-old share the same opinion.

Race and ethnicity does not impact significantly the nations’ global standing. About three-in-ten whites (30%) and blacks (31%) and about a quarter of Hispanics (26%) view the U.S. as above all other nations. The majority view across each of these groups is that the U.S. is a great country, on par with some other countries.

Across educational groups, roughly equal shares consider the U.S. a top-tier nation. But those with higher levels of education are somewhat less likely to say that the U.S. stands above all other countries and more likely to say the U.S. is among the world’s greatest nations, along with some others.

In the case of those with postgraduate degrees, 20% say the U.S. stands above all other countries, while 64% say it’s among a few great nations. By comparison, a third (33%) of Americans with a high school diploma or less consider the U.S. the best country in the world, while 52% say it is among the world’s greatest nations.