Voters Say Some Big City Leaders, Most Reporters Encourage Violent Protests

Voters think big city leaders in places like Portland and Seattle where violent protests have gone on for weeks are bringing the violence on themselves, with most reporters cheering on the protesters.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters believe political leaders in some major cities like Portland and Seattle are encouraging violent protests by limiting the police response. Thirty-one percent (31%) disagree. A sizable 19% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Republicans (72%) are much more likely than Democrats (33%) and voters not affiliated with either major party (48%) to think these political leaders are making it worse for themselves and their cities.

Fifty-five percent (55%) of all voters believe most reporters identify with the protesters in violent protests situations. Just five percent (5%) say most reporters identify more with the police. Thirty-three percent (33%) feel most generally try to be impartial.

Voters are far from convinced that the much-maligned police have been fighting back too much. Only 29% think most police departments are too aggressive in dealing with violent protesters. Slightly more (34%) believe they’re not aggressive enough. Thirty percent (30%) say the police response in most cases is about right.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted July 29-30, 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.

Separate surveying finds that 51% of voters believe government policies and practices encourage violent crime in some cities and states more than others. Just 24% disagree, while another 24% are undecided. Most voters approve of President Trump’s decision to use federal agents to fight the growing violent crime in some major cities.

Fifty-four percent (54%) of blacks think most police departments are too aggressive in dealing with violent protesters, a view shared by just 26% of whites and 23% of other minority voters.

Other minorities (61%) are more convinced than whites (48%) and blacks (44%) that political leaders in some major cities are encouraging violent protests by limiting the police response.

The younger the voter, the more likely they are to believe that most police departments respond too aggressively to violent protests.

Democrats are much more critical of police tactics than GOP and unaffiliated voters are and far less critical of the media. While 77% of Republicans and 54% of unaffiliateds think most reporters identify with the protesters in violent protests situations, only 37% of Democrats agree.

Many of the violent protesters champion efforts to defund local police and shift that money elsewhere. But 66% of all Americans oppose reducing the police budget in the community where they live. Sixty-one percent (61%) believe violent crime will go up in communities that defund the police.

Sixty-four percent (64%) are concerned that the growing criticism of America’s police will lead to a shortage of police officers and reduce public safety in the community where they live.

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

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