Who flies the American flag for holidays — and who never flies one, according to an AP-NORC poll

DETROIT (AP) — Jerry Esters proudly displays the American flag every day in his Detroit home. A few miles away, Yvonne Pistochini says there is no scenario in which she would allow the Stars and Stripes to cast a shadow over where she lives.

They are both Black.

To the Esters, the flag represents opportunities that allow the great-great-grandchildren of slaves to achieve success and flourish. Pistochini, 79, says the America defined by the flag is not the same country he saw growing up.

Americans’ views on “Old Glory” are divided by politics, age and race, according to a new poll conducted by Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research ahead of the country’s 250th birthday celebration.

Republicans and older white adults are particularly likely to say they fly the American flag, while younger Democrats and Black adults are more likely to say they do not fly the American flag. Views of the flag (and whether it is a unifying or divisive symbol) are the same as others Deep divisions among AmericansThose who look at their country’s history and achievements very differently.

“Many Black Americans see the flag as a symbol of both inclusion and exclusion,” said Matthew Delmont, a professor of American history at Dartmouth College. “Black Americans, more than white Americans, understand that the flag can be used to justify a version of patriotism based on exclusion, where the flag is used to say ‘you don’t belong here.'”

The survey of 2,596 adults was conducted between April 16 and 20. This suggests that older white Americans, especially Republicans, are more likely to view the flag as unifying.

Nearly half of U.S. adults said they display the flag in their homes for most of the year or during holidays. About 7 in 10 Republicans and nearly 6 in 10 Americans age 60 and older fly the flag at least on holidays.

On the other hand, nearly 6 in 10 Democrats and independents say they “never” fly the US flag. This includes a whopping 75% majority of Democrats under 45.

Opportunities worth fighting for

Esters, a 64-year-old retired clay sculptor who works for a Detroit automaker, flies three American flags at his home in Sherwood Forest on the city’s west side.

“When these houses were built, black men like me and my mother and my family…we couldn’t even afford these houses,” he said. “To me, that’s one reason why I fly the flag. We went through a lot to have beautiful homes and we fought for it.”

The other reason is Esters’ great-great-grandmother, Moriah Martin, who was born into slavery.

“I’m kind of fulfilling his dreams, the things I do to make a living, to have a job, to have a nice house,” he said. “I think that’s the American way, but we have to fight for it, and that’s what we fought for as Black people.”

He is in the minority among Black adults, according to research that found only 3 in 10 Black adults say they carry the American flag, compared to about half of white and Hispanic adults.

Pistochini says current divisions over political leanings and viewpoints, and inequality of opportunity for the poor and people of color, are not what he believes the flag should represent. He added that people confuse flying it with patriotism.

“Just waving a flag doesn’t make you a patriot,” Pistochini said. “If there had been patriotism, all of this wouldn’t have happened. We can’t look at what’s going on and say, this is America.”

For homeland and freedom

The flag is an important symbol of patriotism for many Americans, says Ben Gaskins, chair of political science at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

“These are older people, white people, more conservative people,” Gaskins said. “They see it as a more central part of their identity.”

Nancy Hansen, a 73-year-old retired Customs and Border Protection officer who lives in Culvertson, Montana, believes “you have to be for the country no matter what” and that the flag means “freedom.”

“The freedom to live where we want to live, to travel where we want to travel, to raise our children where we want to raise them,” said Hansen, who is white and identifies as a Republican.

Every year around July 4th, the American Legion hangs flags in front of businesses and homes in Culvertson, including Hansen’s home.

Linda and Greg Cunningham also equate the flag with freedom.

White, conservative Pontiac, Michigan couple going out this summer. The exterior of their home in northwest Detroit is awash in red, white and blue. The flag sits on a flagpole just a few feet from their door.

“This is definitely not a political issue,” said Linda Cunningham, 63. “This is our freedom. I love the American flag. I love the concept of it. I love America. I know there’s a lot going on in the world right now and I know everyone has their own opinions and I’m sorry that politics has to be incorporated into the flag.”

Mark as ‘painful reminder’

47% of respondents see the flag as a “more unifying” symbol. About 16% describe it as a “more divisive” symbol, while 36% say it is neither divisive nor unifying.

Only 22% of black adults see the flag as a unifying symbol, compared to 55% of white adults and 42% of Hispanic adults.

“It’s a painful symbol. It’s a reminder of what we could be for Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color, and how we’ve failed to achieve that,” said Allison Wiltz, a Black writer and founder of Writers and Editors of Color.

Paul Walthour, 71, occasionally flies a flag outside his Minneapolis-area home on special occasions and some holidays. Walthour says that when he is away from home and at his cabin, the flag is raised every morning and taken down at the end of the day.

“This is maybe old-fashioned,” said Walthour, who is white and a retired advertising agency creative director. “I think it’s a symbol that you’re proud to be an American.”

“Unfortunately, I think this is more a symbol of division than unity,” added Walthour, who identifies as a Democrat. “The people who fly it on the far right have a different feeling about it, while the people who fly it on the left have a different feeling about it.”

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Williams is a member of the AP’s Race and Ethnicity team. Sanders and Parwani reported from Washington.

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AP-NORC’s survey of 2,596 adults was conducted April 16-20 using a sample from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. Overall, the margin of sampling error for adults is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.