The poll revealed that opinions of the flag are sharply divided by race. While 72 percent of African-Americans see the Confederate flag as a symbol of racism, just 25 percent of whites share this view.
In southern states, the racial divide was found to be even more marked.
"While 75% of Southern whites describe the flag as a symbol of pride and 18% call it a symbol of racism, those figures are almost exactly reversed among Southern African-Americans, with just 11% seeing it as a sign of pride and 75% viewing it as a symbol of racism," the poll revealed.
Additionally, the views seem to be influenced by education, the poll showed.
"Among whites with a college degree, 51% say it's a symbol of pride, 41% one of racism. Among those whites who do not have a college degree, 73% say it's a sign of Southern pride, 18% racism," the poll found.
Following the shootings, questions regarding the removal of references to the Confederacy from public life exposed sharp racial divisions in the American public.
Confederacy is short for the Confederate States of America, which was an unrecognized confederation of secessionist American states that existed the United States from 1861 to 1865. It was originally formed by seven slave states in the Lower South region of the United States.
