Forty-five percent of Oregonians do not approve of the job their local police are doing, according to new polling released Tuesday by the Portland-based pollster DHM Research and the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center.

The statewide survey plumbed 603 Oregonians opinions on police, protests and racial injustice. And their opinions were stark: 55% reported that they think police treat white people better than Black people. The surveys margin of error ranges from plus or minus two to four percentage points, depending on the questions.

Oregonians increasingly support the Black Lives Matter movement and George Floyd protests. More than two-thirds of Oregonians polled support the Black Lives Matter movement now, in contrast to 54% in a 2018 survey by the same company. The police killing of George Floyd has sparked protests in Portland over the past 62 days and the polling showed that Democrats, Portland residents, and 18- to 29-year-olds are the most supportive of the protests.

And only 35% of Oregonians support how police nationwide have responded to protests.

At the same time, Oregonians are also increasingly frustrated with the direction that the state is going. The percentage of Oregonians who think the state is heading in the right direction has fallen sharply in the last few months, from 51% in April to 43% in June, and now to 33% in July, according to the poll.

DHM Research reported it hasnt recorded such a sharp decline in sentiment since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The survey didnt address why Oregonians are feeling so pessimistic, but the report said theyre more likely to believe crime is increasing in their communities, and a vast majority dont support the way the police have responded to recent protests only 35% approve.

Despite the large support for the Black Lives Matter movement and George Floyd protests, theres not a consensus as to how and whether Oregons police departments should be reformed. But 62% of Oregonians reported that the deaths of Black people during encounters with police in recent years are a sign of a bigger problem.

While 31% of respondents reported that police reform hasnt worked and defunding police and reinventing the approach to public safety is necessary for change, 39% believe police departments problems with race can be fixed by reforming the existing system. One-fifth said police departments dont need reform.

A majority of Oregonians, 57%, support cutting some police funding, and shifting those resources to social services.

Theres more agreement among Oregonians on specific policy changes to policing. The study found high levels of support for policies such as requiring police officers to intervene and stop excessive use of force by other officers, requiring officers to report each time they use or threaten to use force, requiring states to release officer disciplinary records and banning the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants.

And while federal officers have used tear gas and less-lethal munitions almost nightly in Portland during recent protests, Oregonians are split about whether to ban them. Statewide, 50% of those polled said they would support a ban, while 55% in the Portland metro area support one.

The poll found racial injustice is the second-most important community issue Oregonians want their elected officials to act upon, only behind COVID-19. Almost two-thirds are worried that the recent protests may lead to an increase in coronavirus cases.

-- Celina Tebor

ctebor@oregonian.com

@CelinaTebor

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New polling shows most Oregonians support Black Lives Matter, many dont approve of the job their local polic - OregonLive