Rock Hill, SC (WLTX) - A new Winthrop Poll shows Southerners are conflicted about what to do with monuments that celebrate Civil War era figures.
The survey reports 42% of Southerners said to leave the memorials alone, while 28% said to add a plaque for context and historical interpretation.
Nearly one-fourth want to move the statutes to a museum. Poll director D. Scott Huffmon said, “All told, 56% want to do something other than simply leave the monuments and statues as they are, but these folks are very divided on what should be done. A strong plurality advocate leaving them as they are.”
When it comes to the Confederate flag, 46% of those polled view it as somewhat or very unfavorable; comparatively, only one in five view the flag as favorable.
Also in the survey, President Donald Trump has a 44% approval rating among respondents and a 48% disapproval rating. This is slightly higher than his national approval ratings.
According to poll director, Dr. Huffmon, “Trump’s approval is still soaring among his base in the South and his overall approval ratings in the region remain slightly higher than his national numbers."
Meanwhile, Congress has a 70% disapproval rating.
Economy and Opportunity
The poll also asked people about economy and opportunity and found more than half said our country is headed in the wrong direction. This thought, however, was mostly a Democratic viewpoint as 57% of Republicans survey said the country was moving on the "right track."
When asked about the country's economy, 77% said the economy as a whole is 'very good' or 'fairly good.'
According to those surveyed, immigration is the most important problem facing our country, followed by politicians/government, racism, lack of healthcare and the economy.
More than two thirds of those survey agreed or strongly agreed that "political correctness" threatens our liberty.
The Southern respondents contacted for this poll were from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
The Winthrop Poll says 969 residents were surveyed between Nov. 0-20 and Nov. 26-Dec. 2. Results have a margin of error of approximately +/- 3.15 at the 95% confidence level.