While many Republican politicians are abandoning previous support for the Confederate flag, rank and file Republicans haven't changed their views much. In fact, Republicans have become more supportive of the flag over the last two decades.

According to a Gallup poll released Wednesday, 67 percent of Republicans believe it's all right for Southern states to fly the Confederate flag. That's an increase from 55 percent in 2000 and 58 percent in 1992. Seventy-eight percent of Republicans believe the flag is a symbol of Southern pride, while just 13 percent see it as a symbol of racism.

Democrats' views have shifted considerably over the last two decades. The percentage that views the Confederate flag as a symbol of Southern pride has been cut nearly in half, from 61 percent in 1992 to 32 percent today. Fifty-eight percent today see the flag as racist, up from 31 percent in 1992.

Among all Americans, a majority — 54 percent — still see the flag as a symbol of Southern pride, and about one-third — 34 percent — view it as a racist symbol. Forty-seven percent of Americans think it's okay to display the flag on official state property, and 46 percent say it's not okay.

Gallup polled more than 2,000 adults in the first week of July, days after a young white man shot and killed nine black people inside a South Carolina church. In the wake of the attack, several Southern states have initiated processes to remove the Confederate flag from state property.

As Gallup notes, as with many cultural and political issues, Republicans' and Democrats' views about Confederate flag have diverged significantly over the last two decades, and especially since 2000. Gallup also breaks down the results by race, region and education.

The Gallup poll comes days after a CNN/ORC poll found similar divergence between the parties on the Confederate flag.

Daniel Allott is deputy commentary editor for the Washington Examiner