SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A protester points toward police as they face off with demonstrators near the White House on June 3, 2020. (Photo: Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)
Majority of Americans Believe Actions and Anger of George Floyd Protesters Justified, Polling Shows
"The current findings represent a marked change in public opinion from prior polls."
Jun 03, 2020
A majority of Americans believe protesters taking to the streets of cities across the nation over the police killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers last week are justified in their anger and at least partially in their actions, according to new polling from around the country.
The polling also found a majority of Americans believe police use disproportionate force on blacks as opposed to whites, a jump from four years ago when only a third of the public held that view.
"It seems we have reached a turning point in public opinion where white Americans are realizing that black Americans face risks when dealing with police that they do not," Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement. "They may not agree with the violence of recent protests, but many whites say they understand where that anger is coming from."
\u201cA majority (57%) of the public now says police are more likely to use excessive force with a black person than a white person in similar situations, according to a new @MonmouthPoll . Only one-third of the country held this opinion four years ago. https://t.co/ecI9H1VZVG\u201d— John McCormick (@John McCormick) 1591117421
Polls from Monmouth, Reuters/Ipsos, and CBS/YouGov all found U.S. attitudes on police treatment of minorities swinging against law enforcement.
\u201cThe number of white people who believe that police use excessive force more against black people has doubled since 2016. \n\nFor the first time, a clear majority of people believe that police disproportionately target black Americans.\n\nKeep speaking. \n\nhttps://t.co/bPy2OIc95y\u201d— jess mcintosh (@jess mcintosh) 1591207533
Of particular note was Monmouth's finding that a majority of Americans believe the anger of demonstrators taking part in the uprising against police violence and brutality is justified and that their actions are fully or partially justified.
\u201c\u201cthe current findings represent a marked change in public opinion from prior polls.\u201d\n\nhttps://t.co/weelilNhyk\u201d— mike casca (@mike casca) 1591190942
As Monmouth explained:
Only 17% of the public says that the actions of protestors, including the burning of a police precinct, sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police are fully justified, but another 37% say they are partially justified. On the other hand, 38% say these actions are not at all justified. At the same time, a majority of the American public (57%) says that the anger that led to these protests is fully justified. Another 21% say it is partially justified and only 18% say it is not at all justified.
The 17% number, tweeted Forum News Service columnist Rob Port, is larger than it may seem.
\u201c"A majority of both self-identified R's and D's said they approved of the protests but felt property damage and looting undermined the cause, with under a quarter believing the looting was justified."\n\n"Under a quarter" is still a lot of people.\n\nhttps://t.co/GHzweOQ8WP\u201d— Rob Port (@Rob Port) 1591211388
President Donald Trump's handling of the unrest, as well as his general racist views, are polling poorly as well.
As CNN explained:
Few are comfortable with the president's handling of the situation. Monmouth found that a majority of Americans (53%) say race relations in the U.S. have gotten worse since President Donald Trump took office four years ago, about the same share who felt that way after eight years of former President Barack Obama's tenure.
Trump's approval on the events and protests in Minneapolis is lower than his usual overall approval, almost half of Americans in the CBS/YouGov poll (49%) disapprove of how he's handling the situation, while 32% approve and 19% haven't heard enough.
Around three-quarters of registered voters reported Trump favors whites, compared to 23% who say the same of blacks, according to CBS/YouGov. Half of voters said the President actively works against black Americans.
Trump on Monday suggested he would turn to the U.S. military for help in quelling the demonstrations around the country before walking to a hastily thrown together photo-op at St. John's Episcopal Church through Lafayette Park--violently cleared of protesters just minutes before to accommodate the president.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A majority of Americans believe protesters taking to the streets of cities across the nation over the police killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers last week are justified in their anger and at least partially in their actions, according to new polling from around the country.
The polling also found a majority of Americans believe police use disproportionate force on blacks as opposed to whites, a jump from four years ago when only a third of the public held that view.
"It seems we have reached a turning point in public opinion where white Americans are realizing that black Americans face risks when dealing with police that they do not," Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement. "They may not agree with the violence of recent protests, but many whites say they understand where that anger is coming from."
\u201cA majority (57%) of the public now says police are more likely to use excessive force with a black person than a white person in similar situations, according to a new @MonmouthPoll . Only one-third of the country held this opinion four years ago. https://t.co/ecI9H1VZVG\u201d— John McCormick (@John McCormick) 1591117421
Polls from Monmouth, Reuters/Ipsos, and CBS/YouGov all found U.S. attitudes on police treatment of minorities swinging against law enforcement.
\u201cThe number of white people who believe that police use excessive force more against black people has doubled since 2016. \n\nFor the first time, a clear majority of people believe that police disproportionately target black Americans.\n\nKeep speaking. \n\nhttps://t.co/bPy2OIc95y\u201d— jess mcintosh (@jess mcintosh) 1591207533
Of particular note was Monmouth's finding that a majority of Americans believe the anger of demonstrators taking part in the uprising against police violence and brutality is justified and that their actions are fully or partially justified.
\u201c\u201cthe current findings represent a marked change in public opinion from prior polls.\u201d\n\nhttps://t.co/weelilNhyk\u201d— mike casca (@mike casca) 1591190942
As Monmouth explained:
Only 17% of the public says that the actions of protestors, including the burning of a police precinct, sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police are fully justified, but another 37% say they are partially justified. On the other hand, 38% say these actions are not at all justified. At the same time, a majority of the American public (57%) says that the anger that led to these protests is fully justified. Another 21% say it is partially justified and only 18% say it is not at all justified.
The 17% number, tweeted Forum News Service columnist Rob Port, is larger than it may seem.
\u201c"A majority of both self-identified R's and D's said they approved of the protests but felt property damage and looting undermined the cause, with under a quarter believing the looting was justified."\n\n"Under a quarter" is still a lot of people.\n\nhttps://t.co/GHzweOQ8WP\u201d— Rob Port (@Rob Port) 1591211388
President Donald Trump's handling of the unrest, as well as his general racist views, are polling poorly as well.
As CNN explained:
Few are comfortable with the president's handling of the situation. Monmouth found that a majority of Americans (53%) say race relations in the U.S. have gotten worse since President Donald Trump took office four years ago, about the same share who felt that way after eight years of former President Barack Obama's tenure.
Trump's approval on the events and protests in Minneapolis is lower than his usual overall approval, almost half of Americans in the CBS/YouGov poll (49%) disapprove of how he's handling the situation, while 32% approve and 19% haven't heard enough.
Around three-quarters of registered voters reported Trump favors whites, compared to 23% who say the same of blacks, according to CBS/YouGov. Half of voters said the President actively works against black Americans.
Trump on Monday suggested he would turn to the U.S. military for help in quelling the demonstrations around the country before walking to a hastily thrown together photo-op at St. John's Episcopal Church through Lafayette Park--violently cleared of protesters just minutes before to accommodate the president.
A majority of Americans believe protesters taking to the streets of cities across the nation over the police killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers last week are justified in their anger and at least partially in their actions, according to new polling from around the country.
The polling also found a majority of Americans believe police use disproportionate force on blacks as opposed to whites, a jump from four years ago when only a third of the public held that view.
"It seems we have reached a turning point in public opinion where white Americans are realizing that black Americans face risks when dealing with police that they do not," Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement. "They may not agree with the violence of recent protests, but many whites say they understand where that anger is coming from."
\u201cA majority (57%) of the public now says police are more likely to use excessive force with a black person than a white person in similar situations, according to a new @MonmouthPoll . Only one-third of the country held this opinion four years ago. https://t.co/ecI9H1VZVG\u201d— John McCormick (@John McCormick) 1591117421
Polls from Monmouth, Reuters/Ipsos, and CBS/YouGov all found U.S. attitudes on police treatment of minorities swinging against law enforcement.
\u201cThe number of white people who believe that police use excessive force more against black people has doubled since 2016. \n\nFor the first time, a clear majority of people believe that police disproportionately target black Americans.\n\nKeep speaking. \n\nhttps://t.co/bPy2OIc95y\u201d— jess mcintosh (@jess mcintosh) 1591207533
Of particular note was Monmouth's finding that a majority of Americans believe the anger of demonstrators taking part in the uprising against police violence and brutality is justified and that their actions are fully or partially justified.
\u201c\u201cthe current findings represent a marked change in public opinion from prior polls.\u201d\n\nhttps://t.co/weelilNhyk\u201d— mike casca (@mike casca) 1591190942
As Monmouth explained:
Only 17% of the public says that the actions of protestors, including the burning of a police precinct, sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police are fully justified, but another 37% say they are partially justified. On the other hand, 38% say these actions are not at all justified. At the same time, a majority of the American public (57%) says that the anger that led to these protests is fully justified. Another 21% say it is partially justified and only 18% say it is not at all justified.
The 17% number, tweeted Forum News Service columnist Rob Port, is larger than it may seem.
\u201c"A majority of both self-identified R's and D's said they approved of the protests but felt property damage and looting undermined the cause, with under a quarter believing the looting was justified."\n\n"Under a quarter" is still a lot of people.\n\nhttps://t.co/GHzweOQ8WP\u201d— Rob Port (@Rob Port) 1591211388
President Donald Trump's handling of the unrest, as well as his general racist views, are polling poorly as well.
As CNN explained:
Few are comfortable with the president's handling of the situation. Monmouth found that a majority of Americans (53%) say race relations in the U.S. have gotten worse since President Donald Trump took office four years ago, about the same share who felt that way after eight years of former President Barack Obama's tenure.
Trump's approval on the events and protests in Minneapolis is lower than his usual overall approval, almost half of Americans in the CBS/YouGov poll (49%) disapprove of how he's handling the situation, while 32% approve and 19% haven't heard enough.
Around three-quarters of registered voters reported Trump favors whites, compared to 23% who say the same of blacks, according to CBS/YouGov. Half of voters said the President actively works against black Americans.
Trump on Monday suggested he would turn to the U.S. military for help in quelling the demonstrations around the country before walking to a hastily thrown together photo-op at St. John's Episcopal Church through Lafayette Park--violently cleared of protesters just minutes before to accommodate the president.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.