You’ve got to take these WalletHub listicles with a grain of salt, but the recent ranking of 2015’s most and least patriotic states was just too good to pass up for the 4th of July. Yes, friends, if WalletHub is to be believed, Virginia is the most patriotic of the 50 states!
WalletHub bases its ranking not on what people say they feel but on what they do. Half the patriotism rating consists of “military engagement”: what percentage of residents enlist in the military, consists of veterans and is comprised of active-duty personnel?
The other half consists of “civic engagement”: What percentage votes, volunteers, joins the Peace Corps? And what is the frequency of Google searches for American flags?
Red states are somewhat more patriotic than the blue states, according to WalletHub. That’s no surprise considering that progressives and liberals are more likely to pride themselves as being cosmopolitan citizens of the world and are less likely to believe “my country, right or wrong.”
The methodology is pretty arbitrary. There are many ways for people to demonstrate their patriotism not included in this methodology. Regardless, as one who holds patriotism to be a great virtue, I’m pleased to see that Virginia tops the list.
— JAB
