The Washington Post
Patriotism is an inherently difficult thing to quantify. It means different things to different people, certainly.
Which makes measuring it an inherently flawed exercise. But a new study from WalletHub gives it the old college try, basing its data-heavy rankings on 12 measures from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Defense Department and voter-turnout data, among many others. Half of its score is based on military engagement, while half is based on civic engagement — voting, volunteering, etc.
The conclusion: Virginia is the most patriotic state in the country. In fact, it’s the only state that scores in the top 10 on both military and civic engagement.
The least patriotic? New Jersey.
Here are the top 10:
1. Virginia69.17
2. Alaska 67.94
3. South Carolina 62.62
4. Colorado 57.51
5. Georgia 57.41
6. Hawaii 55.08
7. Montana 54.87
8. Alabama 54.08
9. Washington 53.88
10. New Hampshire 53.31
As noted, few states score high on both measures. Red states tend to score higher on military engagement, while blue states tend to score a little higher on civic engagement. Minnesota, for example, ranks first on voter turnout but 48th on military enlistments. Alaska ranks second on military enlistments but 49th on voter turnout.
Because there tend to be bigger differences in military engagement than in civic engagement — particularly on military enlistments, which accounts for a whopping 25 percent of every state’s score — states with good scores on the military tend to be higher on the list. It’s a big reason why red states overall have a better average score than blue states. Again, this is all subjective.
(One of the civic-engagement measures used, for example, is Google searches for American flags. It’s a very small portion of a state’s overall score – less than 2 percent – but a good example of the subjectivity we’re talking about.)
The 10 least patriotic states, according to this study:
41. Louisiana 35.75
42. Michigan 34.83
43. California 34.42
44. Pennsylvania 33.2
45. Massachusetts 31.89
46. Illinois 31.02
47. Rhode Island 30.91
48. New York 26.4
49. Connecticut 26.34
50. New Jersey 19.47
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
