Support for Black Lives Matter has decreased since June but remains strong among Black Americans
BY
DEJA THOMAS AND
JULIANA MENASCE HOROWITZ
Protesters march in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on Aug. 28, 2020. (Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)
As racial justice protests have intensified following the
shooting of Jacob Blake, public support for the Black Lives Matter movement has declined, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. A majority of U.S. adults (55%) now express at least some support for the movement, down from 67% in June amid
nationwide demonstrations sparked by the death of George Floyd. The share who say they
strongly support the movement stands at 29%, down from 38% three months ago.
See also: Americans have heard more about clashes between police and protesters than other recent news stories
How we did this
The Black Lives Matter movement has been
back in the spotlight due to this summer’s protests. The new survey findings come as
confrontations between protesters and police have escalated in some cities and as President Donald Trump has stepped up his
criticism of the movement.
The recent decline in support for the Black Lives Matter movement is particularly notable among White and Hispanic adults.
In June, a majority of White adults (60%) said they supported the movement at least somewhat; now, fewer than half (45%) express at least some support. The share of Hispanic adults who support the movement has decreased 11 percentage points, from 77% in June to 66% today. By comparison, support for the Black Lives Matter movement has remained virtually unchanged among Black and Asian adults.
Support for the Black Lives Matter movement remains particularly widespread among Black adults. Some 87% of Black Americans say they support the movement, similar to the share who said this in June. However, the share of Black adults expressing
strong support for the movement has decreased 9 points, from 71% to 62%.
The partisan divide in support for the Black Lives Matter movement – which was already striking in June – has widened even more. Among Republicans and those who lean to the Republican Party, about two-in-ten (19%) now say they support the movement at least somewhat, down from four-in-ten in June. The share of Democrats and Democratic leaners who support the movement (88%) has not changed considerably.
The partisan gap is similar among White adults. About nine-in-ten White Democrats (88%) express at least some support for the Black Lives Matter movement, compared with 16% of White Republicans. And while about half of White Democrats (51%) say they
strongly support the movement, just 2% of White Republicans say the same.
Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis, along with responses, and its methodology.
55% of U.S. adults now express at least some support for the Black Lives Matter movement, down from 67% in June.
www.pewresearch.org