New Poll Finds Popularity of Black Lives Matter Movement Has Plummeted in the Last Year
Black Lives Matter protests erupted across the country last year following the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.
But the movement’s popularity has declined since the height of the unrest, according to a Morning Consult poll.
According to the survey, 48 percent of voters hold a favorable view of the Black Lives Matter movement, down 13 points from this time a year ago.
The most significant changes were among independent, Republican and white voters.
Favorability among independent voters dropped from 58 percent in June 2020 to 44 percent in May 2021.
Among Republicans, favorability dropped to 16 percent from 36 percent.
Favorability fell among white voters from 56 percent to 42 percent.
Black Lives Matter also declined in popularity among Democrats, but only 13 percent have an unfavorable view of the movement.
The only group that reported increased favorability was black voters, among whom the movement’s popularity grew from 82 to 84 percent.
Black Lives Matter and Vice President Kamala Harris are both more popular than any partisan government official except President Joe Biden, according to Morning Consult.
The poll also found that one year after George Floyd’s death, most Americans don’t expect race relations to improve.
Just 3 in 10 Americans expect race relations to improve within the next five years, while 46 percent said that race relations have gotten worse in the past five years.
Democrats are twice as likely as Republicans to express optimism about race relations in the future, with 40 percent and 19 percent of respondents, respectively, saying things will get better.
The poll was conducted from May 21 to May 24 among about 2,000 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points.
The poll was published as Biden was set to meet on Tuesday with George Floyd’s family at the White House, according to ABC News.
Biden wanted to get police reform measures passed by the first anniversary of Floyd’s death, the outlet reported.
The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act was passed by the House of Representatives in March but has not yet been considered in the Senate, where it would need the support of at least 10 Republicans.
The bill bans no-knock warrants and police chokeholds and ends qualified immunity, which limits lawsuits against officers accused of violating civil rights.
Bipartisan lawmakers have been negotiating over the legislation after Democrats rejected a Republican proposal that they said didn’t go far enough.
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