Charleston Reporter

It’s a great time to be an Olympian, as a recent poll finds both patriotism and pride are sentiments many people said they feel when they see the U.S. flag.

In a survey conducted July 12-13 by the Trafalgar Group in conjunction with Convention of States Action (COSA), 81.7% of 1,094 voters likely to participate in the general election said they felt either "pride" or "patriotism" when laying eyes on Old Glory.

This should be welcome news to American athletes who often drape themselves in the American flag in order to improve marketing position with many national brands. 

“Heading into the Olympics, these numbers demonstrate that — on issue after issue — America is still America, a nation of good and decent people. The public isn’t buying the lie that our flag is a ‘symbol of hatred’ or oppression, and our Olympians are proud to represent the stars and stripes in Tokyo,” Mark Meckler, president of COSA, said. “And for those few who said they feel shame, indifference, or suspicion when thinking about our flag, I’d like to remind them that the right to express that view was paid for by the blood of men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect this symbol of freedom around the world.”

The poll found that in addition to the 81.7% of Americans who feel positive sentiments about the flag, a plurality, 43.6%, said they felt "pride," while 38.1% said "patriotism." 

Only 8.4% expressed negative emotions of "shame" or "suspicion," while 9.9% described "indifference".

However, party affiliation did indicate noticeable differences, with 70.1% of Democrats versus 93.9% of Republicans expressing positive emotions. Still, both sides have massive majorities on the positive end. Meanwhile, 82.2% of independents or other parties expressed positive emotions towards the flag.

The Trafalgar Group is a public polling and market research firm. Its website states that Real Clear Politics called it the “most accurate pollster of the cycle among those firms that polled multiple Senate and governor races” this year.

COSA is a grassroots political organization with over 5 million supporters across the country whose mission is on calling an Article V Convention of the States to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

According to The State six South Carolina athletes, and one coach, traveled to Japan to compete for Team USA at the Tokyo Games. In addition, several international athletes with South Carolina ties also competed.