A solid majority of American voters — with the exception of Republicans — believe that NFL players can take a knee during the National Anthem and still be patriots, a new poll said Thursday.
American voters by 58 percent to 35 percent said the players were not unpatriotic, the Quinnipiac University survey found.
But Republican voters, by a wide margin of 70 percent to 23 percent, said that players who kneel to protest police violence and social injustice are not patriots.
White voters with no college degree were divided, with 46 percent saying yes and the same percentage saying no. All others listed by political party, gender, education, age and race said they were not unpatriotic.
Voters also said by 53 percent to 43 percent that professional athletes have the right to protest on the playing field or court. Men and women agree, but there were wide racial and party divisions.
Democrats said they had the right by 82 percent to 16 percent, and Independent voters split with 54 percent saying they did and 42 percent saying they didn’t.
Republicans, however, said by a margin of 81 percent to 16 percent that players did not have the right to protest. Black voters backed the players’ rights by 85 percent to 11 percent, and 67 percent of Hispanic voters said they did while 28 percent said they did not.
White voters said they had the right by 53 percent to 43 percent.
Those polled also backed the NFL’s new policy that players can stay in the locker room during the anthem if they choose, but that they will be fined if they take a knee on the field, by 51 percent to 42 percent.
“Voters are clearly torn on the National Anthem issue. They seem to be saying, ‘You can still love your country and kneel during its Anthem,’ but the NFL’s new ‘must stand’ mandate is fine with them, too,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac Poll.
“As for teams that defy the new rule, Americans say, ‘Don’t throw a flag on them.’”