GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- The sight of the American flag inspires feelings of pride in millions of Americans, and that pride is likely to be displayed even more this Independence Day weekend. New Gallup polling shows that more Americans will be flying the American flag this year than did last year, and slightly more will be spending time engaged in family-oriented activities. About a third say they plan on doing something on Independence Day specifically in remembrance of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Americans are also more likely than they were before the attacks to say they are extremely proud to be an American.
According to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll conducted June 21-23, 2002, 83% of Americans plan to display a flag during the holiday weekend -- up from 66% a year ago. There are interesting variations in flag flying by demographic and geographic characteristics:
- Whites are slightly more likely to plan on displaying a flag than non-whites (85% to 78%).
- Conservatives are more likely to plan on displaying a flag than are liberals (89% to 74%).
- On a similar note, those who approve of President Bush's job performance are far more likely to display a flag than are those who disapprove (89% to 65%).
- Those living in the Midwest and the South are slightly more likely to plan on displaying a flag than are those living in other regions (86% in the Midwest, 85% in the South, 81% in the East, and 80% in the West).
There were few differences on the basis of education or age, but suburban residents are also slightly more likely to display a flag than are those living in urban or rural areas.
The aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks and the resulting "War on Terrorism" are also apparent in another finding of the poll. Ninety percent of Americans answered "extremely" or "very" when asked "how proud are you to be an American?" in a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll conducted June 17-19, 2002. Nearly two out of three (65%) answered "extremely" -- up from 55% when the same question was asked in a January 2001 CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll. Again, there were sharp differences along racial and ideological lines:
- 70% of whites said they were "extremely proud," compared with 51% of non-whites.
- 75% of conservatives expressed that same feeling, compared to 46% of liberals.
- 73% of those who approve of President Bush's job performance described themselves as "extremely proud," compared to 40% of those who disapprove.
Holiday Plans Focus on Family
Americans are slightly more likely to spend the Independence Day holiday celebrating with family members or at a picnic or cookout this year than they were last year. This could be due to the economic circumstances that have forced some families to cut back on summer trips, the general decline in travel since the Sept. 11 attacks, or perhaps a reluctance to travel because of safety concerns this July Fourth (a Newsweek poll conducted June 27-28 found that over half of Americans felt it was at least somewhat likely that there would be more terrorist attacks carried out over the July Fourth holiday).
Thinking for a moment about the Fourth of July,
Which of the following, if any, do you think you will do this Fourth of July? How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?
Get together with family members
|
Yes, will do |
No, will not |
No opinion |
|
|
2002 Jun 21-23 |
82% |
16 |
2 |
|
2001 Jun 28-Jul 1 |
76% |
23 |
1 |
Give or attend a barbecue, picnic, or cookout
|
Yes, will do |
No, will not |
No opinion |
|
|
2002 Jun 21-23 |
83% |
15 |
2 |
|
2001 Jun 28-Jul 1 |
78% |
20 |
2 |
Display an American flag
|
Yes, will do |
No, will not |
No opinion |
|
|
2002 Jun 21-23 |
83% |
16 |
1 |
|
2001 Jun 28-Jul 1 |
66% |
33 |
1 |
Sept. 11 Attacks to be Remembered
For many Americans, the attacks of Sept. 11 will be just one of the many events in American history remembered on Independence Day. About a third -- 35% -- of Americans say they will do something special on this Fourth of July to remember the victims of the terrorist attacks. Of that group, one in four plans to pray. Another 17% say their plans to display an American flag are in direct remembrance of the Sept. 11 attacks. Far fewer plan other specific events of remembrance, such as attending a memorial service or candlelight vigil.
Survey Methods
The results below are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,020 adults, 18 years and older, conducted June 21-23, 2002. 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.
Will you, personally, be doing anything this Fourth of July as a remembrance of the events of Sept. 11, or not?
|
Yes, will |
No, will not |
No opinion |
|
|
2002 Jun 21-23 |
35% |
60 |
5 |
What will you be doing as a remembrance of Sept. 11? [OPEN-ENDED]
BASED ON --341-- WHO WILL DO SOMETHING AS A REMEMBERANCE OF SEPTEMBER 11TH
|
2002 Jun 21-23 |
|
|
% |
|
|
Pray/say a prayer |
26 |
|
Display a flag |
17 |
|
Remember the event (Sept. 11)/Have in my thoughts |
8 |
|
Spend time with family |
7 |
|
Attend a church service |
6 |
|
Attend a memorial service |
4 |
|
Discuss the event |
4 |
|
Moment of silence |
3 |
|
Attend/Participate in a parade |
2 |
|
Candlelight vigil |
2 |
|
Attend a fireworks display |
2 |
|
Watch TV shows related to Sept. 11 |
1 |
|
All |
1 |
|
Other |
14 |
|
No opinion |
13 |
