National pride among Mexicans is strongest in Jalisco and weakest in Mexico City, according to a new poll.

Conducted by the newspaper El Financiero across all 31 states and the capital, the survey shows that 91% of those polled are “very proud” of their nationality.

In Jalisco – home to two of Mexico’s most famous and beloved icons: tequila and Mariachi music – 96% of all respondents said that they are very proud Mexicans, 1% higher than the figure recorded in each of Chihuahua, Baja California, Colima and Yucatán.

Ninety percent or more of respondents in 23 of Mexico’s 32 federal entities said that they are very proud of their nationality, while the figure dipped below 90% in just eight states and the capital.

However, the lowest percentage of respondents who said that they are very proud Mexicans – 86% in Mexico City – is just 10 points below the high recorded in Jalisco.

The next lowest figures were recorded in Aguascalientes, Chiapas and Morelos, where 87%, 88% and 88% of respondents, respectively, said that they are very proud citizens of the United Mexican States, Mexico’s official name.

The nationwide figures, gleaned via telephone interviews with at least 400 residents of each state, indicate that, overall, Mexicans are very proud of their country.

The poll also shows that most people are very proud of the state in which they live.

At the top of the list is Yucatan, where 96% of respondents said that they are very proud of their state.

Among the reasons for which yucatecos can feel pride is that the capital, Mérida, was recently ranked the safest city in Latin America and the second safest in North America. More broadly, Yucatán is well known for its unique cuisine, archaeological sites such as Chichén Itzá and Uxmal and strong Mayan culture.

State pride is also very strong in Sonora, Oaxaca, Jalisco, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Tlaxcala and Durango. Between 85% and 90% of respondents in those states said they are very proud of the place in which they live.

Residents of México state, Mexico City, Coahuila and Guerrero are less enamored with their home states but still 65%, 68%, 71% and 73%, respectively, said that they are very proud of them.

The maximum expression of Mexican pride will be on display this Sunday when millions of people gather across the country to celebrate the 209th anniversary of Mexico’s independence and participate in a pride-filled and rousing reenactment of El Grito de Dolores, the cry for a revolt against the Spanish colonial government delivered by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in 1810.

Source: El Financiero (sp)