Some people feel that the U.S. Constitution should be amended to make it illegal to burn or desecrate the American flag as a form of political dissent. Others say that the U.S. Constitution should not be amended to specifically prohibit flag burning or desecration. Do you think the U.S. Constitution should or should not be amended to prohibit burning or desecrating the American flag?

	1997	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Should not (Go to Q12)	49%	48%	51%	59%	51%	55%	53%	63%
Should (Go to Q11)	49%	51%	46%	39%	46%	44%	45%	35%
Don't know/refused (Go to Q12)	2%	1%	3%	2%	2%	2%	3%	3%

[If "should":] If an amendment prohibiting burning or desecrating the flag were approved, it would be the first time any of the freedoms in the First Amendment have been amended in over 200 years. Knowing this, would you still support an amendment to prohibit burning or desecrating the flag?

	1997	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Yes	88%	90%	87%	81%	83%	87%	82%	86%
No	9%	8%	12%	15%	15%	12%	16%	11%
Don't know/refused	3%	2%	1%	4%	2%	1%	3%	3%

The First Amendment Center commissioned New England Survey Research Associates, to conduct a general public survey of attitudes about the First Amendment. The survey was conducted by telephone between May 13 and May 23, 2005. The sampling error for 1,003 national interviews is +/- 3.1% at the 95% level of confidence. The sample error is larger for sub-groups.