Story highlights Racial split over player protests: 82% of blacks say they're right vs. 34% of whites

Six in 10 say Trump did the wrong thing by criticizing protesting players

24% say they plan to boycott NFL games, broadcasts or products due to protests

Washington (CNN) Americans are sharply divided over whether NFL players taking a knee during the National Anthem are doing the right thing to express their views, but a majority agree that President Donald Trump did the wrong thing by criticizing their actions, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

Overall, 49% say the protesting players are doing the wrong thing to express their political opinion when they kneel during the National Anthem, while 43% say it's the right thing. Those views are sharply divided by race, partisanship and age.

Among whites, 59% say the players are doing the wrong thing while 82% of blacks say it's the right thing to do. Almost 9 in 10 Republicans say it's the wrong thing (87%) while just about three-quarters of Democrats say the opposite (72%). And most younger Americans call it the right thing (56% among those under age 45) while a majority of older Americans say it's wrong (59% among those age 45 or older).

Six in 10 Americans say that Trump did the wrong thing by criticizing those players, however, including 51% of whites, 97% of blacks and majorities of Democrats (86%) and independents (61%). Among Republicans, 23% called it the wrong thing to do, and even 32% of those who think the players are doing the wrong thing disagree with Trump's criticizing them.

The public is also closely divided over whether professional sports leagues should require their players to stand during the National Anthem, as Trump has called for -- 49% say yes, 47% no. There has been a massive shift since last fall on this question among blacks. In a poll conducted by Marist for HBO Real Sports last fall, 42% of African-Americans said players should be required to stand; now, that stands at just 13%. Views among whites and Hispanics have largely held steady.

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