Public shifts on police
Protest coverage seems to be shifting attitudes
A week of protests sees a drop in the public’s perception of the nation’s law enforcement as a new poll shows a double-digit swing against police.
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, 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, a 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. Fiftytwo percent find police very or somewhat favorable, a 6 percentage 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.”