Poll: Most view kneeling during anthem as acceptable form of protest

Majorities of Black and Hispanic Americans think it’s acceptable for athletes to kneel during the national anthem as a form of protest against racial discrimination. White people are divided, with just over half (52%) saying it is unacceptable.

But political partisanship may be playing a larger role in opinion than race. Eight in 10 White Democrats find kneeling during the anthem an acceptable form of protest. A similar percentage of White Republicans find it unacceptable.

Overall, we see many of the partisan splits we’ve seen on other matters concerning protests and race. Most Republicans say professional athletes kneeling during the national anthem as a form of protest is unacceptable. Most Democrats and a smaller majority of independents view it as acceptable.