By Robert Moran, Heartland Forward Fellow
As America turns 250, Americans in the heartland and beyond continue to express hope in enduring American ideals. Eighty-four percent of Americans in the heartland agree with the statement “as Americans, there’s no limit to what we can achieve when we are united in a common cause.” In this analysis, Heartland Forward outlines the encouraging insights and optimism that exists in the heartland and beyond, even though the national conversation highlights economic uncertainty and political polarization. Americans in the heartland remain patriotic, broadly agree on core principles and desire greater national unity.
Heartland Forward teamed up with Ipsos to analyze their America 250 research among Americans living in the heartland, the 20 states in the middle of the country, the third largest economy. This opinion research was conducted between February 25 and March 4, 2026 among 4,692 Americans, 1,825 of which reside in heartland states, and has a margin of error of +/- 1.48 percentage points with a 95% confidence interval nationally and +/- 2.39 percentage points in the heartland states.
Patriotism & Pride
First, 77% of heartlanders report that the phrase “I feel proud to be an American” describes them well (extremely, very, or fairly well), with 55% saying that “proud to be an American” describes them extremely (36%) or very (19%) well. That’s foundational patriotism.
Additionally, 79% of Americans in the heartland say the phrase “there’s no place I’d rather live than the U.S.” describes them well (extremely, very, or fairly well), with 57% saying that their sole preference for living in the United States describes them extremely (39%) or very (18%) well.
Principles & Founding Documents
In addition to pride in their country, people in the heartland and Americans still agree on core principles. For example, Ipsos asked survey participants to rate the degree to which the following statement described them:
“The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Bill of Rights feel relevant and important to me in my life.”
Eighty-six percent of respondents in the heartland said that this statement described them either extremely well (30%), very well (29%) or fairly well (27%). Heartland respondents and their fellow citizens on the coasts still care deeply about our founding principles and the documents that contain them.
Uncertainty & Hope
While this analysis focuses on the unifying themes found across geography and demography, that consensus exists alongside real unease about the state of the country and its trajectory.
Economic anxiety and a range of concerns have led to concern of American decline. When asked if America’s best days were ahead of it or behind it, only 43% of respondents in the heartland said America’s best days were ahead, and 53% felt our best days were behind us. Fifty-eight percent of respondents in the heartland, as compared to 61% of all Americans, report being not too or not at all satisfied with the direction of the country today.
But not all the data is negative. Seventy-one percent of heartland respondents still feel they have either achieved the American Dream or it is within reach.
While the data on economic anxiety and concern for the future exists, America has been here before. Across 250 years the United States of America has weathered wars, economic swings and sweeping societal change. The U.S. has always grown, adjusted and striven for a more perfect union. In a democratic republic that often means talking it out, learning from each other and meeting in the middle.
As America celebrates its 250th birthday, the data suggests that the country’s greatest asset may be that even amid anxiety and argument, from sea to shining sea, Americans have not lost faith in one another, the enduring principles upon which the nation was established or what we can achieve when we are united.