Americans’ views of police drop significantly in one week.
Protest coverage shifts public attitudes
WASHINGTON – The perception of police by white Americans has dropped by double digits in just one week, as police continue to target peaceful protesters, bystanders and even journalists amid nationwide demonstrations focusing on systemic racism facing black Americans.
Perceptions also have declined across all racial groups following the death of George Floyd while in police custody, according to a new survey from the Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape Project.
The findings are important not only for the future of police forces but also for President Donald Trump, who in a Rose Garden speech on June 1 declared himself “the law and order president.” In that address, which was preceded by the forceful removal of peaceful protesters from an area near the White House, Trump aligned himself with law enforcement forces and against demonstrators he described as violent and even terrorist.
Among white Americans – a group where Trump saw broad support in the 2016 election – those who have a very favorable or somewhat favorable impression of police officers, dropped to 61%, in the survey conducted May 28 to June 3. That’s down from 72% the previous week, according to an analysis of Nationscape Insights, project of Democracy Fund, UCLA and USA TODAY.
In addition, the percentage of white Americans who hold a somewhat or very unfavorable view of police ticked up to 31% from 18%
Perceptions of police have declined among all racial groups, according to the survey of more than 6,000 Americans, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points:
Among black Americans, only 38% find the police very or somewhat favorable. That number dropped 9 percentage points from the May 21 to 28 survey. The percentage of black Americans who find police somewhat or very unfavorable also increased by 10 percentage points to 54%.
About half (51%) of Asian and Pacific Islanders find police very or somewhat favorable, down 14 percentage points. Those who find police somewhat or very unfavorable also increased to 44% from 18%.
Latinos saw the least change in favorable perceptions of police. Fifty-two percent of Latinos find police very or somewhat favorable, a 6 percentage point drop from the previous week. There was an 11 percentage point increase among Latinos who find police very or somewhat unfavorable, 36% from 25%.
“These changes were striking,” said Robert Griffin, research director for the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group. “While public attitudes are typically quite stable, the country is experiencing an almost unprecedented level of civil protest – hundreds of gatherings and events taking place even in small cities. At a time when so much in American politics feels deadlocked, this is the kind of major event that can reshape how Americans think.”
The Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape Project is a large-scale study of the American electorate. Throughout the 2020 election cycle, the researchers aim to conduct 500,000 interviews about policies and the presidential candidates.
Saturday marked the ninth day of demonstrations across the country – in every state, in cities large and small – following the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody, and increased reports and videos of police using excessive force on protesters and citizens.
It also comes as the Trump administration is facing questions over the military forces patrolling Washington, D.C., and his urging of governors, whom he called “weak,” to crack down on violence in their states.
The protests began following the death of George Floyd, a black man who was captured on video lying face down while a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into his neck. The officer, Derek Chauvin, now faces a seconddegree murder charge. Officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao have been charged with one count each of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
There have been instances of rioting and looting amid the protests. There also have been instances of police using force on peaceful protesters.
The Associated Press reports that more than 10,000 arrests have been made nationwide, many for low-level offenses such as curfew violations and hundreds for looting or burglary.
Two Buffalo police officers, who are suspended amid an outcry over a video showing them shoving a 75-year-old man to the ground during a protest, were charged Saturday with second-degree assault. The other officers in their unit resigned from the duty in protest.
On June 1, law enforcement officers used tear gas to clear peaceful protesters near Lafayette Square, a park in front of the White House, so President Donald Trump could pose with the bible at the nearby St. John’s Episcopal Church.
In Atlanta, authorities pulled two young black college students from a car and shot them with stun guns while they were stuck in traffic caused by protests over George Floyd’s death. Six Atlanta police officers have since been charged.
At a Floyd protest in Austin, Texas, a 20-year-old protester was shot in the head by local police with nonlethal beanbag ammunition, fracturing the protestor’s skull and leaving him with brain damage.
In Salt Lake City, officers knocked over an elderly man with a cane.
Journalists across the nation covering the protests have been arrested, shoved, fired at with rubber bullets and tear gassed.