Pride, patriotism still dominant sentiments toward U.S. flag, poll shows

Voters continue to admire the U.S. flag, with 82% saying that either pride or patriotism describes the sentiments they feel toward Old Glory, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Convention of States Action, in partnership with the polling firm The Trafalgar Group.

Respondents across the board agreed. The survey revealed that 94% of Republicans, 82% of independents and 70% of Democrats also cited pride or patriotism as their dominant feelings toward the flag.

“Heading into the Olympics, these numbers demonstrate that — on issue after issue — America is still America, a nation of good and decent people. The public isn’t buying the lie that our flag is a ‘symbol of hatred’ or oppression, and our Olympians are proud to represent the stars and stripes in Tokyo,” Mark Meckler said in a statement.

Mr. Meckler is president of the Convention of States Action, a nonprofit advocating for a constitutional convention on federal power.

Overall, the poll found that 44% of U.S. voters said “pride” best describes how they feel about the American flag while 38% agreed that “patriotism” was the best description.

Another 10% cited “indifference,” 5% cited “shame” and 3% cited “suspicion.”

“As for those few who said they feel shame, indifference, or suspicion when thinking about our flag, I’d like to remind them that the right to express that view was paid for by the blood of men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect this symbol of freedom around the world,” Mr. Meckler said.

The poll of 1,094 registered U.S. voters was conducted July 12-13 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.97 percentage points.