Poll: Most Americans now view national anthem kneeling as acceptable form of protest

A new CBS News poll reports that the majority of Americans polled said they believed kneeling during the national anthem is an acceptable form of protest.

What are the details?

More Americans than ever now find kneeling to be an acceptable form of protest, but the outlet points out that "there are divisions along political, racial, and generational lines."

Overall, 58% of Americans polled said kneeling protests are understandable, while 42% disagree.

The poll found that the majority of black and Hispanic Americans surveyed said such protests were acceptable. Just 48% of white people agree.

CBS News reported that 85% of white Democrats believe kneeling is OK, while "a similar percentage" of their Republican counterparts believe kneeling is entirely unacceptable as a form of protest.

"Overall, we see many of the partisan splits we've seen on other matters concerning protests and race," the outlet reported. "Most Republicans say professional athletes kneeling during the national anthem as a form of protest is unacceptable. Most Democrats and a smaller majority of independents view it as acceptable."

Also, a generational divide is apparent. Americans ages 18 to 29 are the group most likely to consider the kneeling protests acceptable, but kneeling becomes less acceptable as Americans age.

What about older Americans?

The majority of Americans polled over the age of 65 say that such protesting is inappropriate and unacceptable.

"There is a relationship between views of the aims of the Black Lives Matter movement and opinions of protest during the anthem," the outlet reported. "Most of those who agree with the ideas of Black Lives Matter see kneeling during the national anthem as an acceptable form of protest, while those who disagree find it unacceptable."

CBS News surveyed 2,008 U.S. adult residents in this poll.