DETROIT — A survey conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research from April 16-20, 2026, found varying perceptions of the American flag as a unifying or divisive symbol among U.S. adults. The survey, which included 2,596 adults drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, indicates differences along partisan, racial, and generational lines.

Overall, 47% of respondents viewed the American flag as a unifying symbol, while 16% considered it a divisive icon. Another 36% stated the flag was neither divisive nor unifying. The margin of sampling error for the overall adult population in the survey was plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

Approximately 50% of U.S. adults reported displaying the American flag at home either throughout most of the year or during holidays. This practice was more common among Republicans, with about 70% flying the flag at least on holidays, and among adults aged 60 and older, with about 60% engaging in the practice. Conversely, about 60% of Democrats and independents reported never flying the U.S. flag at all. This percentage increased to 75% for Democrats under the age of 45.

Racial demographics also showed differences in flag display and perception. Approximately 30% of Black adults reported ever displaying the American flag, compared to about 50% of white and Hispanic adults. When asked about the flag's symbolism, 55% of white adults saw it as a unifying symbol, while 42% of Hispanic adults and 22% of Black adults shared this view.

Jerry Esters, a 64-year-old retired clay sculptor in Detroit, displays three American flags daily at his home. Esters' great-great-grandmother, Moriah Martin, was born into slavery. "When these homes were built, Black men like me, my mother and my family ... we couldn't even buy these homes," Esters said. "I think that's the American way, but we got to fight for it and we, as Blacks, fought for it," he said.

Matthew Delmont, a professor of American history at Dartmouth College, explained that Black Americans often view the flag as representing both inclusion and exclusion. "A lot of Black Americans see the flag as a symbol of both inclusion and exclusion," Delmont said. He further indicated that Black Americans may understand the flag as sometimes used to promote a patriotism based on exclusion. "Black Americans, more so than white Americans, also understand the flag can be used to justify a version of patriotism that is rooted in exclusion, with the flag being used to say 'you don't belong here,'" Delmont said.

Allison Wiltz, an author and founder of Writers and Editors of Color, described the flag as a "painful symbol." "It's a reminder of what we could be and how it's failed to live up to that for Black people, for Indigenous people and people of color," Wiltz said.