Out of 1,200 voters polled, most agree with the following statement:
Following the killing of George Floyd, most protesters wanted to peacefully express their legitimate grievances. Unfortunately, a small number of troublemakers and looters led to violence.
According to pollster Scott Rasmussen, 79% of voters agree with that perspective. Only 15% do not.
How do the views break down by race?
The viewpoint is shared by 84% of black voters, 79% of white voters, and 76% of Hispanic voters, according to Rasmussen. “It’s shared by men and women, rich and poor, by those with a college degree and those without. It doesn’t matter whether you live in the suburbs, an urban area, or rural America,” he says.
Just 29% of voters even “somewhat” favor “defunding the police.”
Rasmussen asked I the same 1,200 voters if they agreed or disagreed with this statement:
Most police officers are good people trying to do a difficult and dangerous job. Unfortunately, a small number of troublemakers and racists lead to racial injustice.
Eighty-four percent (84%) said they agree with that view. Just 15% do not.
According to Rasmussen, support for that statement again comes from all demographic groups. “Eighty-seven percent (87%) of white voters agree with it. So do 78% of black and 75% of Hispanic voters. Support is found among young and old, men and women, and in every part of the country.”
“Following the killing of George Floyd, most protesters wanted to peacefully express their legitimate grievances. Unfortunately, a small number of troublemakers and looters led to violence. According to pollster Scott Rasmussen, 79% of voters agree with that perspective. Only 15% do not.”
Thank you for the article and to be clear, I’m not criticizing the poll. But I must ask. Did any of the 79% who agree with the quote above have any explanation for the fact that when ‘protesters peacefully expressed their legitimate grievances’, somehow that led to riots, arson, injury, and murder? If the protesters were just a bunch of noble souls peacefully expressing their discontent, why have myriad businesses been destroyed and people’s lives been mangled and sometimes ended? Have we reached the point that when we see the cultural and political equivalent of 2 plus 2, we just can’t find our way through our own intellectual and moral haze to 4?
I didn’t vote in your poll, Sharyl, because of how it’s worded.. Most protesters were eager to turn the protests into rioting and looting events, expressing their anger by looting and burning other people’s property. I admire those who protested peacefully, but media failed to give coverage to anything peaceful because media love the violence..
I did not vote in the poll, but I agree with the majority 100%. Folks don’t seem to notice that there are protesters who are legitimately protesting. There are also rioters who have no interest in protest, but are quite interested in looting. There are some very good police and there are some police who should be put in jail rather than be putting others in jail. Legitimate protesters far outnumber rioters. Good cops far outnumber bad cops.
I do believe that there needs to be more and better police training on how to handle crowds and how to avoid increasing the temperature of a situation.
It also occurs to me that perhaps if the chief of police was directly elected rather than appointed, that chief might be more accountable to the community.
Total focus on police violence against blacks does nothing but makes things worse. See Baltimore. Who suffers from this misdirection? Black communities where murder is going on at a fearful rate – black on black. Restrain police further, who is there to protect innocent blacks.
Above all, the welfare state is the culprit, destroying the black family, causing more damage to blacks than slavery itself. The devastation is appalling. The drug-infested streets where aimless men (and women) wander around looking for the next fix – there is no more wicked picture of slavery on the face of the earth.
Pumping more money into an already hideously corrupt government infrastructure will do nothing. Been tried for decades.
Trump is on the right path: jobs, economic opportunity, instead of sucking people into the government dependency machine. Hammering police, taking down monuments, removing any memory of Confederacy does NOTHING to help the suffering black community – and that is where our focus should be.
“Above all, the welfare state is the culprit, destroying the black family, causing more damage to blacks than slavery itself. The devastation is appalling.”
This ‘hits the nail on the head’. I once did research on the history of black communities prior to the introduction of the welfare state in the 60s. Yes, there was racism but the communities themselves were vibrant, energetic, and filled with people who worked hard and supported America. (Witness the black Americans who volunteered to fight in WW 2.) After the welfare got rolling, we end up with, as you describe, (appalling) devastation….The drug-infested streets where aimless men (and women) wander around looking for the next fix – there is no more wicked picture of slavery on the face of the earth.’
I don’t agree at all that members of BLM are peaceful protesters. And I’m not sorry for saying so. WHY ON GOD’s GREEN EARTH are people kneeling before these people, washing their feet and then being shamed and ridiculed? Why are these people being allowed to tear down government owned statues, destroy property, plunder and pillage to this day with impunity? I was “glad” when that statue in Virginia fell and injured that rioter yesterday. SHAME ON ME. That, however, is how angry I am about the lengths these people are going to prove a moot point. NO LIVES MATTER when there’s no respect for life itself.
The statement in the poll was worded: “Most protesters wanted to peacefully express their legitimate grievances. Unfortunately, a small number of troublemakers and looters led to violence.”
The statement should have been worded: “Most protesters wanted to peacefully express their legitimate grievances. Unfortunately, Antifa members who were recruited, paid and trained how to riot were then bussed in to numerous locations to destroy. Piles of bricks and other materials were provided to enable the destruction. Other local troublemakers and looters then took advantage of the chaos.”
That “small number of troublemakers and looters” were remarkably coordinated, abetted by hysterical media accounts. The death was wrong, but justice is being done. The only “systemic” problem is repeating falsehoods over and over. The hypocrisy of leaders (I use the term loosely) shrieking over and over about shutting down/social distancing/mask wearing to save us, then cowering before or joining the lawless mobs who don’t leaves me speechless.
AMEN….
Perfect