Most Americans support the widespread protests over the killing of George Floyd, including the vast majority of independents and more than half of Republicans, according to a new poll from The Washington Post.
The survey, conducted by the Post and the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, found that while most Americans support the ongoing protests over Floyd's killing, Democrats are most likely to support the protests, followed by independents, and finally Republicans.
- 74% said they support the protests over Floyd's killing.
- 87% of Democrats support the protests.
- 76% of independents support the protests.
- 53% of Republicans support the protests.
The poll also found that the vast majority of Americans say that Floyd’s killing is part of a larger problem for law enforcement, with less than one-third of respondents saying that it was an isolated incident.
This is a noticeable difference compared to results of a Post-ABC News poll from 2014, which was conducted to gage reactions to the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York City. Both were unarmed black men who were killed by police officers.
- 69% in 2020 said Floyd’s killing represents a larger problem.
- 29% in 2020 said it was an isolated incident.
- 43% in 2014 said Brown’s and Garner’s killings were part of a larger problem.
- 51% in 2014 said those were isolated incidents.
“The president is way on the wrong side of the growing national consensus that evidences a big shift in attitudes among whites, including Republicans,” Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School, said in a statement. “Even the GOP consensus is splintering.”
The poll surveyed 1,006 adults across the country from June 2-7, 2020 by phone, with a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.