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
Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand how Americans attitudes toward the Black Lives Matter movement have changed since George Floyds death. The data was collected as part of larger surveys conducted June 4-10 among 9,654 U.S. adults and Sept. 8-13 among 10,093 adults. Everyone who took part is a member of the Centers American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATPs methodology.
Here are the questions used for this analysis, along with responses, and its methodology.
The Black Lives Matter movement has been back in the spotlight due to this summers 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.
CORRECTION (October 2020): The methodology section has been updated to reflect the correct cumulative response rate. None of the study findings or conclusions were affected.
Read more:
Black Lives Matter support down since June, still strong ...
- Why does Black Lives Matter only care about black lives when white people are threatening them? - Telegraph.co.uk [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Presque Isle Black Lives Matter protests call for end to discrimination and symbols of racism - The County [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Majority agree with Black Lives Matter and say major police reform is needed CBS News poll - CBS News [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Shots fired as Black Lives Matter and Back the Blue collide in Provo - Universe.byu.edu [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Why Black Lives Matter-L.A. is trying to take down the county's first Black DA - NBC News [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Pence says leaders of Black Lives Matter movement have 'radical left' agenda | TheHill - The Hill [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter protests may have slowed overall spread of coronavirus in Denver and other cities, new study finds - The Colorado Sun [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Meaning behind the movement: Black Lives Matter - UNM Newsroom [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Cortland Black Lives Matter Cautiously Considers Support From Local Libertarians - Juvenile Justice Information Exchange [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- How Trump and the Black Lives Matter Movement Changed White Voters Minds - The New York Times [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- People of all races are supporting the Black Lives Matter movement - KELOLAND.com [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- People donated millions of dollars to the wrong Black Lives Matter foundation read this before you give to any charity - MarketWatch [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Nextdoor Will Offer Bias Training To App Moderators To Combat Racism - NPR [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Martin Luther King III on a Pivotal Wave of Black Lives Matter Protests - The New York Times [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- The lies told by the Black Lives Matter movement [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Trump: Black Lives Matter is a 'symbol of hate' - Politico [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- The Danger of the Black Lives Matter Movement - Imprimis [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- The Black Lives Matter movement explained | World Economic Forum [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter: A primer on what it is and what it stands for [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- 5 Things You Need To Know About Black Lives Matter | The ... [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- What Does "Black Lives Matter" Actually Mean? Why Saying ... [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- For Friends Of The Children, Black Lives Matter Is More Than A Moment - Forbes [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- How Graffiti Artists Are Propelling the Vision of the Black Lives Matter Movement - Artsy [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- After being told to remove her "Black Lives Matter" face mask, Whole Foods employee quits in protest. - Berkeleyside [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter mural placed on top of building in 5 Points neighborhood - WRAL.com [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Corporate ads said Black Lives Matter. But the industry creating them is nearly all white. - NBC News [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter mural in Redwood City washed away after suggestion to paint MAGA 2020 - KRON4 [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter Activist: Abolishing The Police '100%' Means Just That - Here And Now [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- What Black Lives Matter Has Revealed About Small-Town America - The New York Times [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Before Black Lives Matter: Black justice slogans, symbols dating back to the 1700s - ABC News [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- 63% support Black Lives Matter as recognition of discrimination jumps: POLL - ABC News [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- 12 White Female Bodies in Garage Freezer Tagged "Black ... [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter -- Manifesto in Ten Points | National ... [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- New reports of vandalism to Black Lives Matter sign on the Gunflint Trail - wtip.org [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- How the NYC mayoral candidates have responded to the Black Lives Matter protests - City & State [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Magic forward Jonathan Isaac only player to stand, not wear Black Lives Matter shirt during national anthem - Yahoo Sports [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Dodgers to Auction Off Opening Day Black Lives Matter Jerseys - NBC Southern California [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- From the renegade to Black Lives Matter: How Black creators are changing TikTok culture - NBC News [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Police reveal identity of man killed at Black Lives Matter protest in Austin, Texas - Insider - INSIDER [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Survey posted to help determine location of 'Black Lives Matter Street' in Buffalo - WKBW-TV [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- UMTV's The Culture sheds light on the Black Lives Matter movement - University of Miami [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Orlando Hudson says he won't wear Black Lives Matter shirt - SCNow [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- NBA Season Officially Restarts With a Nod to the Black Lives Matter Movement - E! NEWS [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Organizers gather strength for the next push in the Black Lives Matter movement - Columbus Alive [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Listen to the young voices of the Black Lives Matter movement - The Guardian [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- A man held a Black Lives Matter sign in Harrison, Arkansas. He posted the racist responses to YouTube. - USA TODAY [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Fact Checking Kennedy And Markey On Their Black Lives Matter Claims - WBUR [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Technologys Role In Driving Progress In Black Lives Matter - Forbes [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Instead of demonising Black Lives Matter protesters, leaders must act on their calls for racial justice - The Conversation AU [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- A Black Lives Matter mural is defaced with red, white and blue paint in Washington state - CNN [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- From Bloody Sunday to Black Lives Matter, the role of the Black church is shifting - POLITICO [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Jackie Lacey, Husband Sued by Black Lives Matter Members Over Gun Incident - NBC Southern California [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- Suspects in Black Lives Matter, Back the Blue rally assaults plead not guilty in Nevada County Superior Court - The Union of Grass Valley [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- 'Where Would the Black Lives Matter Movement Be Without the Right To Free Speech?' - Reason [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- Black lives matter everywhere. That's why the world should support the #EndSARS movement - The Guardian [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- Vandalism charges OK'd for damage to Black Lives Matter sign in Thousand Oaks - VC Star [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- What Angela Davis has to say about today's Black Lives Matter movement | TheHill - The Hill [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- A Wisconsin County cut funding to a domestic violence shelter that showed support for Black Lives Matter - CNN [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- Starbucks customer says 'F--- Black Lives Matter' when asked to put on mask | TheHill - The Hill [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- A poll worker was fired for telling voters to turn their 'Black Lives Matter' shirts inside out - CNN [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- Ben Harper talks Winter Is For Lovers, Black Lives Matter and special relationship with New Zealand - Newshub [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Cricket: West Indies and Black Caps take knee for Black Lives Matter - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, Superspreader: Oxford names 2020 words of the year, saying this year cannot be - MassLive.com [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- The Urgency of Black Lives Matters #BlackXmas in the Midst of Pandemic - Lasentinel [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- BTS, snubbed singers and Black Lives Matter: Here are 12 things to know about this year's Grammy Award nominees - MarketWatch [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter activists, Biden, and Fauci nominated for Time's 'Person of the Year' award - Washington Times [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- NZ, Windies teams to take a knee in Black Lives Matter gesture - Sportstar [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter: Will Britain change? Hard facts laid bare in Race And Revolution TV show - Sky News [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter calls for police chief and officers involved in shooting teen to resign - KFOR Oklahoma City [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Policing, Racism And The Black Lives Matter Movement In Albany - WAMC [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter has its eyes on Biden and the Georgia Senate election runoffs - Vox.com [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- The Weeknd Reveals Next Album Will Be Inspired by Pandemic, Black Lives Matter Movement - Billboard [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]
- 2020 in review: Five ways Black Lives Matter affected the arts in Ottawa - Ottawa Citizen [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]
- From the Pandemic to Black Lives Matter and the US Election, Here Are Foreign Policy's Top Arguments From the Year That Changed Everything - Foreign... [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]
- Coronavirus, Megxit and Black Lives Matter: Review of the year 2020 - South Wales Argus [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]
- Captain Tom and Black Lives Matter fist light up London skies for New Year display - Mirror Online [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]
- 2020 politics in review: Trump vs. Biden, Markey vs. Kennedy and Black Lives Matter - Boston Herald [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]
- THE 12 INTERVIEWS OF XMAS: Sinad O'Connor on Trump, Black Lives Matter and 'Trouble Of The World' - hotpress.com [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]
- Black Lives Matter shaped the nation and the north shore in 2020 - Itemlive - Daily Item [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]