A new Elon University Poll offers a strange little snapshot of American life near the country’s 250th birthday.
Asked whether any other country on Earth looked better than the United States today, 35% of adults said yes. The party split did the real talking; 55% of Democrats said they’d rather live somewhere else, with 38% of independents and 10% of Republicans saying the same.
According to a new Elon University/YouGov poll, a full *55%* of Democrats said that they would rather live in a different country than the United States.
Only 10% of Republicans said the same. pic.twitter.com/cSpccKhC6d
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 7, 2026
Like every nation, America has problems, but the people most eager to lecture everyone else about compassion, democracy, and belonging now seem to be eyeing the exits. From Breitbart:
The survey targeted U.S. adults with a sample size of 1,000 and a +/-3.95 % margin of error via an online, web-based survey.
A poll in 2025 found a majority of Democrat voters aligned with socialism over capitalism and supported far-left candidates, Breitbart News reported in September.
“Unsurprisingly, the survey found that socialism is largely toxic to Republicans and many independents, explaining why far-left Democrats have had more success in places like New York City but have struggled in red and battleground areas. The poll also found that a plurality of independent voters and Republicans prefer capitalism,” the outlet said.
Canada topped the wish list at 19%, followed by the United Kingdom at 9%, and Japan and Australia at 5% each. Ireland, Switzerland, Norway, and Italy also drew interest.
Cool beans. Pack a sweater for Canada, a patient reserve for the UK, paperwork for Japan, and a large bank account for Australia.
Moving abroad isn’t the same as putting up a yard sign. Other countries have laws, costs, taxes, housing shortages, health care rules, and immigration officers who don’t care about anyone’s social media trauma.
The same survey found 68% of adults said they’re proud to be American. Among Republicans, the number hit 95%! Among independents, it stood at 62%, and among Democrats, only 48% said the same.
Jason Husser, director of the Elon University Poll, described a country that remains proud but uneasy as the anniversary approaches. Uneasy is one thing; openly wishing for another national address is something else. At some point, the complaint becomes less about reform and more about resentment.
Gallup found the same sour trend last year. In 2025, only 36% of Democrats said they were extremely or very proud to be American. Republicans came in at 92%, and independents stood at 53%.
The partisan gap didn’t appear because somebody forgot to run another school assembly flag ceremony. Years of elite instruction taught too many Americans to see the country first through its sins, then through its debts, and only last through its sacrifices, freedoms, and achievements.
A country survives disagreement; it survives hard elections, ugly arguments, bad laws, foolish leaders, and cultural fads dressed up as moral revolutions.
A republic has a harder time when millions of people treat national belonging like a bad lease they’re too lazy to break.
Here’s the good news for the unhappy 55%:
They. Can. Leave.
The United States doesn’t build walls to keep its people trapped inside; North Korea does. Nobody needs permission from Congress, the White House, a county clerk, or even their mother-in-law to buy a ticket.
Sell the house, close the accounts, forward the mail, and start the brave new life somewhere with colder weather, higher taxes, tighter speech rules, or a visa system that expects more than simple vibes.
Canada has Express Entry for skilled workers. The UK requires an eligible job with an approved employer for its Skilled Worker visa. Japan has a Highly Skilled Professional visa. Australia runs its own skilled visa system through the Department of Home Affairs.
In other words, “I hate America” isn’t an immigration category. Other countries may enjoy our discontent from a distance, but they still reserve the right to ask what someone brings besides complaints.
What to say to those who want to leave? Don’t let the door hit you on the way out! If that’s too harsh, how about something simpler: the door is open; freedom includes the right to leave.
It also includes the right for the rest of us to stay, work, argue, build, vote, worship, raise families, honor the dead, defend the Constitution, and keep the American experiment alive without taking daily lectures from people who already have one foot in Toronto.
America doesn’t need fake praise; it needs grateful repair. The country has never been perfect, but perfection was never the promise.
Liberty was.
The people who still believe in it will keep carrying the load. The people who don’t can test their theories somewhere else. They may even learn, somewhere between the visa forms and the first tax bill, what they walked away from.
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