Patriotism isn’t as polarizing as brands think — here’s what Americans actually want this July 4th

America turns 250 this year, and the brand activations are already in full swing. 

Coca-Cola has launched a campaign with 50 collectible state cans and a “Paint the Nation” mural project. Jeep has enlisted Captain America. Mountain Dew briefly became “American Dew.” General Mills slapped patriotic packaging on 79 products. Walmart and Amazon have handed over shelf space to America250-themed products.

Understandably though, brands are nervous — they’ve watched others wade into divisive territory and get it wrong. And with American pride at a 25-year low, patriotism suddenly feels like waving a flag could alienate half the country.

We surveyed 2,000 American and 1,000 UK consumers about what patriotism actually means to them, how they react when brands reach for it and what they want this summer. 

Read on for our findings. 

Pride in being American runs high, and it’s spread across the board — 60% of Americans feel a strong sense of pride, and even among the youngest adults (18-25) it's over half (51%), climbing to 7 in 10 among over-55 year-olds. That’s well ahead of the UK, where 43% feel strong pride.

And it runs deep, with twice as many Americans feeling “very strong” pride in their country as Brits do (41% vs 25%).

American patriotism also leans on something many countries’ national pride doesn’t: the military. Honoring veterans and those who served is the second-biggest source of pride for Americans overall — and the single biggest for the over-55 year-olds — a cultural strand that sets US patriotism apart.

What’s actually low is optimism: more Americans are pessimistic about the country’s direction than optimistic. The feeling brands want to tap into is alive and well but it’s the confidence in where things are heading that’s unsteady.

We asked Americans how likely they’d be to walk away from a brand that used patriotic marketing — and the answer barely moves across the political spectrum.

Around 30% of consumers in every political camp would turn away — it’s a relatively modest few who’d lose interest, fairly evenly across the board.

The actual divide lies in who rewards brands that tie themselves to national pride or patriotic themes. 

Every group views patriotic marketing positively on balance — even Democrats at +23. But the payoff climbs steeply to the right: 66% of Republicans say patriotic marketing makes them feel more positive about a brand, versus 43% of Democrats. And Republicans are far less likely to be indifferent — just 20% say it makes no difference, against 37% of Democrats.

So it’s safe to say patriotic marketing won’t trigger a boycott. What it could do is make a brand more appealing to the right than the left.

For a challenger brand courting a conservative base, that’s an opportunity. For a mass-market brand that needs everyone, it’s a trade-off to consider.

When we ask people to define patriotism, Democrats and Republicans alike reach first for pride and love for the country, then for community, freedom and looking after one another. We see the same themes and language, regardless of who they vote for:

• “Loving your country and your neighbors.” — Democrat

• “Loving the country and wanting the best for everyone.” — Republican

• “Supporting your community and helping the people where you live.” — Democrat

• “Giving back to the community and being kind to all.” — Republican

And when it comes to inclusion — the idea most likely to sound politically loaded — the two parties are essentially identical.

So while the country may feel divided, when it comes to what matters for a patriotic campaign, there’s enough common ground to build on.

1. Focus on substance over symbols

Where brands should tread carefully is coming across as insincere. 

When we asked Americans what matters most in whether patriotic marketing lands well, “feels genuine rather than opportunistic” (24%) and “focuses on people and community rather than symbols” (21%) topped the list. 

“Stays clear of politics” came well down at 14%. Consumers aren’t worried brands will be political so much as fake. 

And they can tell the difference. We asked Americans how genuine or hollow various expressions of patriotism feel — and the gap between substance and symbolism is stark.

The expressions that involve real people and real effort like jobs, community and honoring service score much higher than the expressions that simply display patriotism.

A brand putting a flag or an eagle in its advertising is the single weakest move — and it’s close to worthless with the young: under-25 year-olds rate brand flag imagery at just +2 net genuine, against +36 for over-55 year-olds.

Around 6 in 10 say they trust a brand more when it invests in jobs than when it runs patriotic ads — and find people-focused brands more genuine than symbol-focused ones.

Ultimately, the most patriotic thing a brand can do is invest in jobs, back communities and honor the people who live there. 

Chevrolet’s America250 campaign is a good example of this in practice. Rather than reaching for flags and symbols, the brand built its anniversary ad around mobility, family and shared experience — patriotism told through the people and everyday moments of American life.  

2. Mind the generation gap

July 4th matters to Americans — it’s the single biggest source of national pride, named by over half (51%) of US consumers. So the question for brands shouldn’t be whether to show up, but how. 

And that’s where we see differing opinions by age: younger people have set a higher bar for what feels genuine, and they want brands to focus on different things than older generations do.

Older consumers want brands to lean into the celebration and the patriotic feeling of July 4th (“celebrating national pride” climbs from 17% of under-25 year-olds to 28% of over-55 year-olds) while younger ones are three times more likely to want brands engaging with social causes (18% vs. 6%). 

The common ground we see is around value and support for local communities — both sit near the top for every age group. 

Brands should build on the value and community that everyone responds to, then dial the patriotic message up or down depending on who they’re talking to.

3. Lean into moments of shared pride

Finding the moments of national pride and occasions that unite is a good way for brands to avoid alienating half their audience.

Sport is the clearest example, and the timing couldn’t be better. The 2026 World Cup lands on US soil the same summer as America250 — and unlike patriotic branding, it brings everyone together.

A major sporting moment like this stirs strong national pride or unity in 35% of Americans. But what’s more interesting is that the figure is consistent across pretty much every demographic group. 

It's near-identical across age groups (31% of over-55 year-olds, 35% of under-25 year-olds), and just as steady across gender, ethnicity and region. The one exception is politics — Republicans feel it more strongly (48%) than Democrats (32%) — but even there, sport divides far less than overt patriotism does.

Sporting occasions are a real opportunity here. It’s rare to see a single moment command this kind of consistent pride and that makes events like the World Cup a chance for brands to tap genuine national feeling. 

Some brands are already nailing this. Truly Hard Seltzer’s “Drop” — a 10-second World Cup spot where a bald eagle swoops in to deliver a pack of Truly — ties the brand to the wave of national pride around the tournament without forcing it. It’s overtly patriotic, yet it lands: the ad drives sales in the top 15% of US ads we tested, with a 34% purchase uplift against a 22% norm.

So why do the symbols work here when our data says they usually fall flat? It’s mainly because Truly earned them — the brand has been the Official Hard Seltzer of US Soccer since 2022 and spent the tournament showing up for fans.

The patriotism here reads as authentic. Also the eagle is a key part of the ad — it’s the joke, the surprise and the brand cue all at once. Ultimately, symbols aren’t off-limits but they have to be earned and they have to mean something.

Consumers don’t want less patriotism from brands, they want it to be real. Celebrate people over symbols, tune the message to your audience and lean into the moments that unite — and America’s 250th becomes an opportunity rather than a risk.

That’s why continuously maintaining a pulse on consumer preferences is so important — so you can stay ahead of what’s coming.