A majority of people in North Carolina say racism is a significant problem in the state, according to an exclusive Spectrum News/Ipsos poll.

Protests over social justice and Confederate monuments intensified across the country after video circulated of the police killing George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May.

In North Carolina, 60% say police use of excessive force against Black people “is a widespread problem,” the poll found. But people were split on whether or not the recent protests “will bring about positive change in our society.”

North Carolinians were also split when asked if they think “cities should continue to place memorials to the Confederacy in prominent locations.”

The new poll, conducted between Oct. 7 and 15, asked a series of questions to more than 1,400 people in North Carolina in an online interview. The poll has a confidence interval of 3%.

A clear majority of people in North Carolina, 60%, said they think racism is a "significant problem" in the state. That number is even higher for people in the Raleigh market area, 64%.

Statewide, 54% say they support the Black Lives Matter movement. In the Raleigh area, that number is 60%.

The new poll also asked about Confederate symbols. A majority said they think "the Confederate flag represents Southern heritage," according to the poll.

"Views on this are not only divided by party identification (77% of Republicans agree vs. 38% of Democrats) and race (67% of white people agree vs. 27% of Black people), but by age," according to Ipsos. "Younger North Carolinians are less likely to agree with this sentiment (45% of 18-34-year-olds vs. 62% of those over 55)."

"There are stark differences between white and Black residents of the state, as well as among Republicans and Democrats. Black and Democratic North Carolinians are far less likely to favor honoring the Confederacy in public or on military bases," Ipsos said.