Poll: 75 percent of Southern whites call Confederate flag symbol of pride. So do 11 percent of Southern blacks.

There's been a tectonic shift in the politics of the Confederate battle flag since the murder of nine black worshippers at Charleston's Emanuel AME Church on June 17. But there hasn't been much of a shift in how Americans view the flag, according to a June 26-28 CNN/ORC poll released Thursday. Overall, 57 percent of Americans say the Confederate flag is more a symbol or Southern pride than racism — about the same as in 2000 — but that number hides some sharp racial divides.

Among white respondents, 66 percent picked Southern pride, versus 17 percent of blacks. On the other hand, 72 percent of black respondents saw more racism than pride in the flag, as did 25 percent of whites. In the South, the split was starker: 75 percent of whites and 11 percent of blacks favored Southern pride, while 75 percent of blacks and 18 percent of whites called it a symbol of racism. Among all whites, those with college educations were more likely to see racism than whites without a college education, the poll found.

When it comes to what actually happened in the South after the shooting, majorities of all respondents approve: Removing the Confederate flag from (non-museum) government property wins 55 percent to 43 percent, and 50 percent backs the decisions of private companies to stop selling or manufacturing the flag, versus 47 who oppose the decision. You can find more numbers at CNN.

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