While most Americans see the Confederate flag as a symbol of Southern pride than as a symbol of racism, a new poll shows that there also is a clear divide along racial lines.
A CNN/ORC survey released Thursday found that 57 percent of all Americans said they see the Confederate flag more as a symbol of Southern Pride.
But 72 percent of black respondents said they see the flag as a symbol of racism, compared to one in four whites.
The debate over the flag has been thrust back into the national conversation after Dylann Roof, a man with ties to white supremacist groups, opened fire in Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, killing nine parishioners gathered at a prayer meeting.
Images have surfaced online of Mr. Roof holding the Confederate battle flag and a gun.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and the state’s two Republican Senators have since called for the Confederate battle flag to be removed from a monument near the state Capitol.
In the private sector, Amazon and several stores have eliminated products that feature the Confederate flag.
The poll was conducted among 1,017 adult Americans by phone on June 26-28. The margin of sampling error for results based on the total sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.