American media are buzzing with speculation about a viral Wall Street Journal poll which purports that the country has lost faith in traditional values. Among these are patriotism, religion, having children, and community involvement. However, the survey found one value on the ascent: money.

Since 1998, when the WSJ first asked questions of patriotism and religion, respondents who said that patriotism was very important to them fell from 70% to 38%. The importance of religion fell from 62% to 39%. Moreover, it appears that young adults are rejecting religion and patriotism more so than their elders; for the under-30 crowd, only 23% said patriotism was important to them, while religion came in at 30%. As for having children: only 23% of those under 30 saw having kids as meaningful to their lives.

It’s a shocking survey to be sure. So why have traditional values dropped? Moreover, what does it mean?

The WSJ Poll: Not a Big Deal

Republican pollster Patrick Ruffini pooh-poohed the data. He wrote at his Substack that the poll, which the WSJ conducted with a research organization at the University of Chicago, “might not be real.” It’s all in the data collection, he said:

Rather, the dramatically different results we see from 2019 and 2023 are because the data was collected differently. The March 2023 survey was collected via NORC’s Amerispeak, an extremely high-quality online panel. In the fine print below the chart, we can see that data from previous waves was collected via telephone survey.

In other words, one set of data came from online surveys; previous data came from old-fashioned phone calls.

But survey mode still matters. Surveying the exact same types of respondents online and over the phone will yield different results. And it matters most for exactly the kinds of values questions that the Journal asked in its survey.

Shorter Ruffini:

It’s unlikely that Americans are half as patriotic as they were four years ago.

National Review writer Jim Geraghty sort of agreed with Ruffini, adding that the poll included four categories of response: “very important,” “somewhat important,” “not that important” or “not important at all.” And, added Geraghty “… when you look at the numbers for all four categories, the decline in importance appears much more modest.”

So — not to worry then? Not so fast.

Houston, We Do Have A Problem

Vivek Ramaswamy, writing in the New York Post, says that America is experiencing a “crisis of faith — in itself.” He blames America-bashing and the rise of “woke:”

The new secular cults of wokeism, gender ideology, COVIDism and climateism prey on this vacuum of purpose and meaning. Blaise Pascal famously said that if you have a hole the size of God in your heart and God doesn’t fill it, then something else will. 

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Tucker of the Brownstone Institute blames government Covid regulations for the reason that Americans aren’t feeling the love for country these days:

When you are locked in your home, your business is closed, your church is shut, your neighbors are screaming at you to mask up, then the doctors come at you with shots you don’t want, and you are further prevented from leaving the country to anywhere but Mexico, and the president calls the unvaccinated enemies of the people, sure, one can imagine that affections for the homeland decline ….

So when the pollsters come around and ask if we are feeling patriotic, it’s hardly unusual that people would respond: not really. 

As for the drops in religion, or the desire for children, Tucker blames Covid restrictions for those as well. What do you expect when your government keeps you from worshipping? Or when it tells you to stay away from other people lest you become a “super spreader”? It’s kind of hard to form relationships when those in charge are telling you to stay home and be lonely. That is your patriotic duty.

George Harrison Was Prophetic

In 1969, the late George Harrison wrote the song “I Me Mine” which the Beatles included in the 1970 album Let It Be. Harrison wrote it at a time when the band was fracturing, and the song itself was the last track they recorded before their final break-up.

Credit: badgreeb RECORDS/flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0.

The song deals with egoism and self-absorption. Harrison based the lyrics on Hindu texts, as he had jettisoned his Catholic upbringing long before. Still, his words from decades ago seem to reflect so much of the poll and American malaise:

All through the day, I me mine
I me mine, I me mine
All through the night, I me mine
I me mine, I me mine
Now they’re frightened of leaving it
Everyone’s weaving it
Coming on strong all the time
All through the day I me mine

Many Americans, particularly those of the younger generations, no longer revere God, in part thanks to parents who saw no need for religion. And due to the influences of social media as well.

Teresa Mull of The Spectator US writes:

The youngest generations have grown up in homogenized comfort, without much to guide their values beyond public school propaganda and TikTok influencers. Their parents, too, were oftentimes reared without religion, an idea of place or obligation to anything but Me.

As a result, one in four Generation Z-ers seek to become social media influencers, according to a survey from The Hill.

What a change from the days when I was selecting a career path. Back then many of us wanted to “help other people,” or “make a difference.” The source of those goals often came from being raised in religious homes, usually with two parents.

So now the ultimate goal is to become rich and famous on social media. I Me Mine. 

WSJ Poll Shows the Depth of American Malaise

The WSJ poll shows a deeper issue than the effects of Covid, or “wokeism,” or the various other ideologies permeating the culture. Americans have replaced the worship of God with the worship of self, and we have become our own gods. Until our mores once again include religious ethics, we can expect more decline in our happiness and pride in being America. We’ll continue to see social pathologies such as the recent horrendous school shooting, too.

Vivek Ramaswamy was correct when quoted the mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal: If you have a hole the size of God in your heart and God doesn’t fill it, then something else will.  

Featured image: July 4 Parade car, Indiana, 2007/personal collection.