CBS News poll on why Americans fly the flag

As July 4 nears, here’s something a lot of Americans agree on: Many will fly the flag, they will do so out of patriotism, and seeing the flag connotes the same feeling. 

Images of the flag have always abounded in politics, of course, but most Americans don’t display it themselves to make a political statement — though they think plenty of others do.

And while we often see an image of the flag emblazoned on everything from caps to clothing, for most, it’s not just a fashion statement.

But relatively more feel they’ve seen the flag used in these contexts, even if they would not do so themselves.

What does the flag communicate?

Most Americans think, in turn, assume a person they see displaying the flag is patriotic.

Most also see it as someone supporting the military.

To most, seeing someone flying the flag does not communicate a person’s ideological stance that they can discern.

But for those who do feel they receive an impression, it’s more likely they think someone flying the flag is conservative, more so than liberal, and Democrats and Republicans think that at about the same rate.

Maybe they’re onto something — because Americans’ reasons and frequency for displaying the flag do, in fact, differ a bit according to their partisanship. 

Republicans are relatively more likely to say they’ve flown a flag themselves to display patriotism, and at times to make a political statement, each more often than Democrats say they have.

The flag and protest

Over the decades, polling has asked whether it should be legal to destroy or burn the flag as a form of protest. Most Americans think that should be against the law. Most also thought so 35 years ago, too. (There are partisan differences on this, with Republicans especially likely to say so.)

And a large majority of Americans say the U.S. flag doesn’t have to be displayed solo to signify patriotism — three-quarters think one can fly the flag of one’s country of family heritage, along with the American flag and still be patriotic.

This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,404 U.S. adults interviewed between June 18-23, 2025. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to gender, age, race, and education, based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as 2024 presidential vote. The margin of error is ±2.6points.