A nationwide poll of voters say National Football League players have the right to kneel as a form of protest. 

In a Quinnipiac University National poll, almost 70 percent of voters said the players have the right to protest by taking a knee during the national anthem. 

Men polled (67 – 30 percent) and women (67 – 31 percent), were almost identical in their support for the right to protest, according to the poll. 

Black, white and Hispanic voters all support the right to take a knee.

Republican voters do not support the right to protest 60 – 39 percent, the only listed party, gender, education, age or racial group opposed to this right.

However, voters polled were split 47-47 on whether they approved of players taking a knee. 

Independent voters also are divided as 46 percent approve of taking a knee and 47 percent disapprove. Republicans disapprove 89 – 7 percent and Democrats approve 79 – 14 percent.

Meanwhile, American voters approve 49 – 37 percent of Nike’s decision to include Colin Kaepernick in its "Just Do It" ad campaign. 

There is a wide age gap as voters 18 to 34 years old approve 67 – 21 percent, while voters over 65 years old disapprove by a narrow 46 – 39 percent.

Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, started the protests when refused to stand for the anthem in Aug. 2016. Since opting out of his contract after 2016, Kaepernick has been unable to land a job with an NFL team and is suing the league for collusion.

With one regular season week taking place so far this year, there has only been a handful of protests. 

In a league where more than 200 players once took some sort of action to protest police brutality and social injustice in America during the anthem, The Associated Press counted fewer than 10 across the league who did so on the NFL’s opening Sunday. 

Only two of them — Albert Wilson and Kenny Stills of the Dolphins — kneeled while the “Star-Spangled Banner” played.

From September 6 – 9, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,038 voters nationwide, with a margin of error of +/- 3.7 percentage points, including design effect. The poll was conducted by live interviewers call landlines and cell phones.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.