Two in Three Americans Support Racial Justice Protests

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- About two in three Americans (65%) support the nationwide protests about racial injustice that followed the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in late May. Half say they feel "very" (23%) or "somewhat connected" (27%) to the protests' cause. Black Americans, young adults and Democrats are among the most likely groups to support and feel connected to the protests.

	Support protests	Feel connected to protests
	% Support	% Feel very/somewhat connected
U.S. adults	65	50
Black adults	92	84
Asian adults	89	73
White adults	59	43
Hispanic adults	70	55
18 to 29	87	72
30 to 49	72	57
50 to 64	53	39
65+	54	39
Democrats	95	78
Independents	69	50
Republicans	22	14
Gallup Panel, June 23-July 6, 2020

The latest results are based on a June 23-July 6 survey conducted by web using the Gallup Panel, a probability-based panel of U.S. adults, in English. Learn more about the findings from this survey and others at the Gallup Center on Black Voices.

Majorities of most subgroups support the protests, with Republicans (22%) a key exception. Republicans are also least likely to report feeling connected to the protests, with 14% saying they feel very or somewhat connected to the cause.

While small majorities of White Americans and adults aged 50 and older support the protests, fewer in these groups report feeling connected to them.

Most Say the Protests Have Changed Their Views on Racial Justice

U.S. adults are mixed in their reports of how the demonstrations have affected their views on racial justice and equality. A slim majority say the protests have changed their views on racial justice "a lot" (21%) or "a little" (33%), while nearly half (47%) say the protests haven't changed their views "at all."

The groups most likely to report being influenced include Asian Americans (74% a lot/a little), adults under the age of 30 (66%) and Democrats (66%).

While most Republicans say their views haven't changed as a result of the protests, about one in three (36%) say they have.

	A lot	A little	Not at all
	%	%	%
U.S. adults	21	33	47
Black adults	31	22	47
Asian adults	26	48	26
Hispanic adults	24	29	47
White adults	18	35	47
18 to 29	22	44	33
30 to 49	20	34	46
50 to 64	19	26	55
65+	21	30	49
Democrats	26	40	34
Independents	20	35	45
Republicans	14	22	64
Gallup Panel, June 23-July 6, 2020

More Than One in Four Young Adults Report Participating in a Protest

While most Americans support the racial injustice protests, 11% report they have actively participated in them. Young adults (26%) are the group most likely to say they participated, while about one in five self-identified Democrats (20%), Asian Americans (20%) and Black Americans (18%) have done so.

Relatively few adults aged 50 and older report having attended protests, possibly reflecting these groups' lower levels of support for the cause, but also likely having to do with their higher risk of getting COVID-19, as these events coincided with a pandemic.

Reported participation in protests is lowest among Republicans (1%).

	Yes	No
	%	%
U.S. adults	11	89
Black adults	18	82
Asian adults	20	80
Hispanic adults	13	87
White adults	10	90
18 to 29	26	74
30 to 49	13	87
50 to 64	7	93
65+	3	97
Democrats	20	80
Independents	9	91
Republicans	1	99
Gallup Panel, June 23-July 6, 2020

Most Americans Say Protests Will Help Public Support for Racial Equality

Americans are more likely to say the protests "will help" (53%) rather than "hurt" (34%) public support for racial justice and equality, while 13% say they will "make no difference."

While Black Americans are among the most likely to support and feel connected to the protests, they are also the most likely to say the protests will make no difference (21%). This may reflect the fact that many Black adults experience mistreatment so regularly -- even after past protests against racism that have occurred throughout U.S. history.

Most groups lean toward saying the protests will help public support for racial justice, though views on their effect are mixed among older adults. Meanwhile, a solid majority of Republicans (74%) say the protests hurt the cause.

The most optimistic groups for the demonstrations' effect on public opinion include Democrats, Asian Americans and young adults.

	Help	Hurt	Make no difference
	%	%	%
U.S. adults	53	34	13
White adults	49	39	11
Black adults	70	9	21
Asian adults	83	9	7
Hispanic adults	56	31	13
18 to 29	78	14	8
30 to 49	58	29	13
50 to 64	40	46	14
65+	42	43	14
Democrats	84	4	12
Independents	53	33	14
Republicans	13	74	13
Gallup Panel, June 23-July 6, 2020

Bottom Line

Despite the health pandemic that has kept many Americans at home, roughly one in 10 say they participated in the protests that followed Floyd's death in late May. Even greater numbers personally supported the demonstrations and report having reconsidered their previous ideas about racial justice and equality.

The vast majority of Black Americans feel connected to the protests' cause, but still, a sizable one in five do not believe these events will result in any meaningful change.

Time will tell what the larger outcomes of the protests will actually be, but Americans are more likely to say they will be helpful than harmful to racial equality. Young adults -- the biggest participators in and supporters of the protests -- will live long enough to see what the long-term legacy of the movement will ultimately be.

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