Minnesota Ranks As One Of The Most Patriotic States In America

What is it that New Hampshire has that New Jersey doesn’t? Both New England states are among the 13 British colonies that declared their independence in 1776 and formed the United States of America. But one is far more patriotic than the other, according to a new analysis ranking the patriotism of the 50 U.S. states. New Hampshire and New Jersey topped and closed the list, respectively, and MInnesota ranked 10th.

The personal finance website WalletHub used two key metrics — military engagement, with a weight of 25 points, and civic engagement, with a weight of 75 points — to determine the most patriotic states.

In the category of military engagement, WalletHub looked at things like the number of military enlistees from 2012-2017; active-duty military personnel and the share of adults in the military reserves.

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The more broad category of civic engagement measured things like the number of adults voting in the 2016 presidential primary and general elections; the number of volunteers and the hours of service they contribute; the number of AmeriCorps and Peace Corps volunteers; trial and grand jury participation; participation in groups and organizations; and civics education requirements in public schools.

Minnesota received a low rank of 46th for military engagement, but a high ranking of 3rd for civic engagement.

Here are the 10 most patriotic states in America, according to the analysis:

New Hampshire (1)
Wyoming (2)
Vermont (3)
Utah (4)
Idaho (5)
Wisconsin (6)
Alaska (7)
South Carolina (8)
Missouri (9)
Minnesota (10)

The analysts said the 10 least patriotic states are:

New Jersey (50)
New York (49)
California (48)
West Virginia (47)
Texas (46)
Connecticut (45)
Indiana (44)
New Mexico (43)
Michigan (42
Illinois (41)

Although his state ranked in the bottom tier for patriotism, Sean Michael Laurent, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Illinois, said most Americans view themselves as patriots and “there is no single state or group of states that is ‘most’ patriotic.” The definition of patriotism is complex and its meaning may well depend on the political ideology of the person who is being asked to define the term, he said.

“Probably, most citizens of the U.S. would call themselves patriots,” Laurent said in comments accompanying the WalletHub analysis. “However, given the current political climate, many people would also accuse people from the ‘other’ side of the ideological spectrum of failing in their patriotism … because standing up for and defending your country can mean different things to different people.”

The analysis found that traditionally Republican states are more patriotic than those that are Democratic strongholds.

“Perhaps the best way to be a patriot is by supporting your leaders when you agree, dissenting when you do not, but above all, trying to keep an open mind and make your country the best place it can be with your every action,” Laurent said.

David Konstan, a Brown University professor emeritus of classics and comparative literature, said the mantra “my country right or wrong” isn’t patriotism, but servility. To him, patriotism is inspiring “one’s country to live up to the highest ideals of humanity.”

States with a civics education requirement got extra points in the ranking, but Konstan said officials need to proceed cautiously.

“When I was young, we learned what was called ‘civics’ in school, beginning with elementary school. It was biased in its way, no doubt about it (the United States was just emerging from the second World War), but we did learn about the Constitution, the way the government works, and what was expected from and due to a citizen,” he said.

“Any such course must have a critical perspective: we don’t want to inculcate mindless obedience to the status quo. What’s more, the world is changing, and what seems right to some may not seem so to others. The issues are delicate, I recognize, but they need to be faced honestly and critically. I trust a citizen body that thinks for itself.”

Changes in cultural traditions may lead some to believe younger citizens aren’t as patriotic as their parents and grandparents, but that’s not necessarily a correct impression, said Timothy Kneeland, a professor and chairman of the History and Political Science Department at Nazareth College.

“Yes, the younger generation may be less likely to adopt the cultural practices of the past, singing the national anthem, saying the Pledge of Allegiance, etc.,” he said. “They have been raised to think that being too American means being too parochial and they may be embarrassed by an overenthusiastic embrace of things that are labeled America. However, they still show their love of country by community service, civic engagement, etc.”

The analysts pulled data from the Census Bureau, Department of Veterans Affairs, Defense Manpower Data Center, Corporation for National & Community Service, Peace Corps, Military OneSource, United States Election Project, Administrative Office of U.S. Courts and the Center for American Progress.

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