Nationhood Lab Research Finds Most Americans Share a Common Vision of America
Widely accepted narrative is rooted in the civic ideals in the Declaration of Independence
Washington, D.C. – March 12, 2025 – Nationhood Lab has released the findings of a groundbreaking research project to find and develop a broadly held story of common national purpose, origins and belonging. The conclusions released at an event at the National Press Club in Washington showed that, unlike many issues in American life, Americans share a broad consensus that the purpose of the United States is to seek to achieve the civic ideals in our opening statement as a people, the Declaration of Independence.
The findings are summarized in the report released today, “The Story of America: A rebooted civic national narrative for the United States,” which included core narrative scripts outlining this broadly shared vision of the United States. It is the result of a year-long research project at Nationhood Lab, a privately funded initiative of Salve Regina University’s Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy.
The research project found broad support for a national narrative based on the ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence, which have near sacred status in our culture. These ideals, which enshrine, justify, and guide the American Experiment in building a society where individuals can be maximally and sustainably free, provide Americans with a powerful and effective story of common purpose.
“Twenty-first century Americans have increasingly been asking what still holds us together as a nation and are wondering if we no longer have a commitment to shared values and ideals,” said the report’s author, Colin Woodard, director of Nationhood Lab. He added, “Every nation is held together by the story its members have come to accept about where it came from, what its purpose is, who belongs to it and who does not. Without such a story it becomes difficult or impossible to initiate and sustain coherent public actions and, ultimately, to prevent a nation from falling apart.”
Civic Ideals or Heritage and Character: How do Americans define our nation?
In April 2024, Nationhood Lab and pollster Embold Research conducted a nationwide survey of 1,567 Americans asking if they preferred to define their country by its commitment to civic ideals or by shared ancestry, history, traditions or culture. The results showed that ideals-based definitions of the country were preferred by nearly every demographic category.
Sixty-three percent of respondents aligned with the statement that we are united “not by a shared religion or ancestry or history, but by our shared commitment to a set of American founding ideals: that we all have inherent and equal rights to live, to not be tyrannized, and to pursue happiness as we each understand it.” Thirty-three percent said we are united “by shared history, traditions, and values and by our fortitude and character as Americans, a people who value hard work, individual responsibility, and national loyalty.”
Follow-on in-depth interviews with representative respondents aimed to understand their feelings about the country’s purpose and various aspects of the Declaration of Independence’s ideals. These results, along with the results of two additional national surveys showed the Declaration’s ideals are supported nearly universally and are hardwired into many Americans’ minds. However, many are skeptical of the country’s track record in implementing or upholding these ideals.
Based on this research Nationhood Lab has developed and tested a ‘rebooted’ civic narrative as a public good available to any American who wants to talk about the United States in ways that help unify its people in a period of profound division. The resulting narrative frame, which provides research-driven insights on how to express these ideals to 21st century audiences coherently and effectively, can be found here.
About Nationhood Lab
Nationhood Lab is a privately funded initiative of Salve Regina University’s Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy. The interdisciplinary effort focuses on studying, understanding and telling the story of America. Our work explores big questions at the heart of American nationhood: Who are we as a nation? Where did our nation come from? How can our states and regional cultures remain together? These questions remain central to the survival of our federation, the American liberal democratic experiment, and the promise of an equality of opportunity set forth in our founding documents. To get involved visit www.nationhoodlab.org
About Salve Regina University
Salve Regina University is a Catholic, coeducational institution of higher education founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1947. For more than 75 years, Salve has offered rigorous, innovative academic programming in the liberal arts tradition that prepares students to be global citizens and lifelong learners. More than 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students from around the world are enrolled at Salve in 48 undergraduate majors, nine master’s degree programs, combined bachelor’s/master’s programs, and four doctoral programs. Every undergraduate student engages in Salve Compass, a transformational four-year program through which they develop the experience, skills, and wisdom required for a fulfilling career and to make a positive difference in the world. The University is also home to the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy, a multi-disciplinary research center focused on the intersection of politics, policy, and ideas. For more information visit salve.edu.