If it's in the News, it's in our Polls. Public opinion polling since 2003.

POLITICS

Most Want to Prosecute Historic Statue Vandals

Most voters want the government to stop the attacks on historical monuments and prosecute those who have desecrated them.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 56% of Likely U.S. Voters give the government poor marks for its response to the violent racial protests in some cities, including attacks on historical monuments. Just 23% believe the government has done a good or excellent job. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Fifty-seven percent (57%) think the government should stop these violent protests. Twenty-nine percent (29%) say they should be allowed to continue. Fourteen percent (14%) are not sure.

Seventy-six percent (76%) of Republicans and 55% of voters not affiliated with either major political party say the government should halt these violent protests, but just 43% of Democrats agree.

Fifty-six percent (56%) of all voters also believe the government should criminally prosecute those who have damaged or destroyed historical monuments. Thirty-two percent (32%) oppose prosecution, while 11% are undecided.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted July 5-6, 2020 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Most voters still rally around Mount Rushmore and historic statues around the country that may be out of line with modern-day sentiments. But there is growing support among those under 40 to do away with them.

Many of the protests have targeted statues of prominent Americans like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson who were slave owners more than 200 years ago. But latter-day presidents like Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt also have been targeted for no apparent reason.

Just 44% of blacks want the government to stop the protests, compared to 60% of whites and 56% of other minority voters. Most whites (64%) and a plurality (46%) of other minority voters want those who damaged or destroyed historical monuments criminally prosecuted; most blacks (57%) don’t. Most voters in all three groups, however, are critical of the government’s response to the violent protests.

Voters of all ages are in general agreement that the government should end the violent protests. But those 40 and over are more strongly supportive of prosecuting those who have attacked the monuments.

Eighty percent (80%) of Republicans and 55% of unaffiliated voters want criminal prosecutions, but just 37% of Democrats share that view.

Among voters who want the government to stop the violent protests, 82% favor criminal prosecution of those who have damaged or destroyed historical monuments. Only 21% of those who want the protests to continue agree.

Seventy-three percent (73%) of all voters agreed with President Trump last year when he said in a speech that “together we are part of one of the greatest stories ever told – the story of America. It is the epic tale of a great nation whose people have risked everything for what they know is right.” Twelve percent (12%) disagreed.

As recently as last November, 73% of American Adults said all Americans should be proud of this country’s history. Just 14% said Americans should be ashamed.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it's free) or follow us on Facebook. Let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted July 5-6, 2020 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.

We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.

Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.

To learn more about our methodology, click here.