Do Americans still have common ground? Gallup’s October 25 report offers a qualified yes: 76% identify at least one of 12 listed values as something most Americans share, “regardless of politics or background.”
That is worth distinguishing from a very different claim: that Americans agree on what those values require in practice.
Freedom leads the shared-values selections at 38%, followed by patriotism at 32% and service at 30%. None reaches a majority. These are perceptions of other Americans, not percentages who personally endorse each virtue.
Consider how easily a label can conceal a disagreement. Two neighbors might both defend freedom while drawing different lines between individual choice and government authority. Both might favor fairness while disagreeing about whether a particular rule treats people fairly. The argument begins where the agreeable word ends.
A useful conversation therefore needs examples. What freedom is being restricted? Who bears the cost of a proposed remedy? Does the same standard apply when the political parties change places? Those questions ask more of us than choosing an attractive word from a list.
What Americans Say Is Missing
Only 13% identify honesty as widely shared; 34% select it among the three values the country most needs. Responsibility and integrity also lead that needs list, at 32% and 31%. Gallup’s results describe perceived strengths and deficiencies—not a test of anyone’s conduct.
The practical test of honesty is telling the truth when a convenient falsehood would benefit your side. Responsibility means accepting the consequences of a decision when blaming someone else would be easier. Integrity becomes visible when the rule costs something.
Apply that test close to home. A public official can acknowledge an error before an opponent exposes it. A citizen can correct a misleading claim after discovering that it is false. A community organization can explain where the money went. None of those acts requires unanimity about the next election.
Respect Without Pretending to Agree
Gallup also finds 79% prioritize respecting different values over sharing the same ones, compared with 19% choosing shared values. The survey involved more than 3,000 U.S. adults, interviewed May 12–22, 2026, through Gallup’s probability-based panel.
Respect can mean hearing an argument fairly, protecting another person’s right to make it, and answering without personal abuse. It need not mean calling every argument sound or every action acceptable. Disagreement remains possible; standards remain necessary.
The useful next step is to name the standard and practice it consistently. Listen before assigning a motive. Check a claim before repeating it. Keep a promise when nobody is keeping score. That is a more demanding form of common ground than a slogan, and a more useful one.
Source: Ellyn Maese, “In U.S., Three-Quarters Identify Shared Values,” Gallup, October 25, 2026.