Washington Monthly article says Americans want connection over division

A new Washington Monthly article by Dr. Gail C. Christopher says a majority of Americans still believe in the country’s ideals but feel those ideals are not being delivered in daily life. Drawing on NCHE’s Heart of America Survey, the piece argues that Americans want fairness, belonging, and leaders who can reduce anxiety and bridge divisions.

Why it matters: - The article argues that America’s polarization story misses a bigger signal: many people still want unity, fairness, and trust. - NCHE says the findings matter because they point to everyday pressures, public health strain, and a strong appetite for leadership that lowers conflict instead of amplifying it. - The survey suggests the country’s biggest fault line is not apathy. It is disappointment among people who still believe in the nation’s founding promises.

What happened: - Washington Monthly published an article, “The Heart of America Still Beats for Connection,” by Dr. Gail C. Christopher, executive director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity. - The piece was published July 22, 2026, as the U.S. marks its 250th anniversary. - Christopher built the article around NCHE’s 4th Annual Heart of America Survey, a poll of 1,322 adults conducted online May 28-June 3 by veteran pollster Shannon-Janean Currie of Empirica Advisors. - The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.70 points. - The full article is available here. - Full poll results are available here. - NCHE archives its Heart of America surveys at the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.

The details: - Sixty-two percent of Americans said they are proud to be American, down from 72 percent a year earlier. - Only 36 percent said the country is living up to its ideals of freedom, fairness, and equal opportunity. - Fifty-two percent said the American Dream is out of reach. - Americans reported pressure from grocery costs at 81 percent, wages not keeping up with living costs at 75 percent, health care costs at 72 percent, and housing costs at 71 percent. - Elder care was cited by 53 percent as a source of pressure on families, ahead of childcare at 44 percent. - Eighty-nine percent said the country needs leaders who are “transformers.” - Eighty-three percent said they would support a leader who aims to unite people across disagreements. - Eighty-four percent said faith, kindness, and empathy can help the country overcome differences. - Seventy-one percent said they remain hopeful that the country can find lasting common ground. - Eighty-five percent said Americans are hungry to belong, connect, and trust one another again. - Eighty-two percent said promoting diversity in the workplace is important to racial healing. - Support for that view included 74 percent of Republicans, 79 percent of Independents, and 92 percent of Democrats. - Eighty percent said reducing racial segregation in housing matters. - Ninety-two percent said schools should teach the full history of America, including slavery and racism. - Support for reparations reached 56 percent, up from 46 percent in 2023. - Christopher also highlighted The Hero Next Door, the new book by ABC News chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz, as an example of stories that can widen empathy. - The article cites Minneapolis residents who stood in sub-zero temperatures to protect immigrant neighbors during ICE-related violence.

Between the lines: - Christopher describes the public mood as “ambivalent patriotism,” meaning loyalty to the country alongside doubt that the country is keeping its promises. - She argues that the dominant public narrative of division can obscure a deeper desire for belonging and mutual recognition. - The article says culture-war politics can mask a longer-running ideology that ranked human worth by race from the 15th through the 20th century. - Christopher argues that Indigenous peoples, enslaved and free African Americans, Chinese and Mexican immigrants, and women resisted that ideology from the start. - She also draws a link between division and health, writing that repeated exposure to culture-war conflict drives anxiety and fear and can worsen chronic illness. - That framing turns the article from a political argument into a broader claim about social cohesion and public well-being.

What's next: - Christopher calls for four steps: tell a truer story, educate honestly, demand transformational leadership, and make healing a cross-sector project. - She says education, public health, media, and technology all shape the stories people absorb and the conditions they live in. - The article argues that the country’s 250th anniversary is a chance to replace culture war with “cultural peace.” - Christopher says Americans want civility, solidarity, and fairness, and she frames that as the work ahead for the nation.