Scott Neidich
Aug 8, 2017 · 2 min read
  1. Sarah, That’s correct: you found the full poll. Look at item item number 23: That’s the source from my claim that a majority of white people in 2015 viewed the Confederate flag as a symbol of Southern Pride before viewing it as a symbol of racism. You’re correct: I said southerners, when this poll is actually of all Americans.
    It’s worth noting that polling all Americans would more than likely bias the results against the result, so I would expect the number of southerners feeling this way to be higher.
    As for the number of participants in the poll, I suggest you find a poll you consider to be a reputable source for public opinion and see how many people they surveyed. This one’s pretty standard, and has an estimated margin of error of 3.5 points. That number typically means that they have a high confidence that the true number is within 3.5 points of the polling results: Larger sample size might shift these numbers a few points, but aren’t going to shift them as far as you’re suggesting the true number lies. Your original claim on this point suggested you’d believe a polling number of 1–10%, whereas the actual data show that its clearly close to a majority if it’s not an outright one. Who knows: Perhaps it’s commensurate with the slight minority of the total number of voters int the last election, and is the same slight-minority that got Trump elected.
    My immediate neighbors don’t paint the Confederate Flag in such light: Living in my city in North Carolina is more like living in Portland Oregon or Austin Texas than it is like living in Kinston NC. But with family out in the Country, I get out there frequently and get enough exposure to believe the numbers in this poll. And if you talk to folks outside of whatever city center you live in, they’d probably be surprised the number’s not higher.
  2. If you’re blogging on the subject, you’re contributing to the conversation.
  3. Alternative Universe, or the original series?
    Scott Neidich

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    Postdoctoral Researcher working on HIV vaccine. Views are my own. If you are planning a public debate and would like to invite me, please email sdneidich@gmail