With the bald eagle now off the endangered species list and no longer in need of federal preservation efforts, Americans are ready to give another symbol of national pride, the flag, special protection in the form of a constitutional amendment. Most recently, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a flag protection amendment last month that would allow Congress to prohibit the burning of Old Glory, or any act deemed to physically desecrate the flag. The bill now goes to the Senate where, if passed, it would be sent to all 50 states for ratification. The current levels of support for an amendment prohibiting flag burning are slightly lower than those found when Gallup first polled on the subject in June 1989. According to the Gallup survey, however, a majority of Americans across nearly all gender, age, educational and even political lines seem to disagree with that sentiment, instead favoring flag protection.
Support varies more widely by education, with approval declining as formal education increases.
For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.