The number of Americans who think it is appropriate to kneel during the national anthem has increased over the past month, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday.

Forty-four percent of registered voters consider it appropriate to kneel during the anthem, according to the poll conducted in October, up 3 points from the same poll in September.

A majority of voters, 52 percent, still consider it inappropriate to kneel during the anthem, though that figure is down 3 points from the September poll.

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The poll shows rising support for kneeling, with just 32 percent of those surveyed in a September 2016 poll saying it was appropriate to kneel, while 61 percent said it was not.

President Trump stirred controversy last month when he called for NFL team owners to fire players who don't stand during the national anthem at games.

The Fox News polling figures are sharply divided along party lines, with 88 percent of Republicans disapproving of the anthem protests and 67 percent of Democrats calling them appropriate.

The divide is also prevalent among racial lines. Six in 10 white respondents said the protests were inappropriate, while 61 percent of nonwhites found them appropriate.

Overall, fewer than half of Americans, 46 percent, now hold favorable views of the NFL, while 41 percent view the league negatively.

The league's favorability rating has dropped 18 points since the same poll was taken in October 2013.

The poll of 1,005 voters was conducted Oct. 22-24 via landlines and cellphones and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.