Forty-seven percent of adults believe police spending should be increased, according to a poll released Tuesday amid growing concern about violent crime in the United States.
The share of the public who want increased spending is up from 31% in June 2020 and signals a significant shift in the national attitude toward policing, according to an analysis of the Pew Research poll.
The number of U.S. adults who support reduced funding for law enforcement has also shrunk considerably, according to poll analysis.
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About 15% of adults want spending for police to decrease, down 25% from 2020’s percent share, analysis showed, with an individual’s view on police funding correlated to political affiliation.
Amid mounting public concern about violent crime in the U.S., Americans’ attitudes about police funding in their own community have shifted: The share who say spending on policing in their area should rise is now 47%, up from 31% in June 2020. https://t.co/dD704YgOak pic.twitter.com/EFPwalQPud
— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) October 26, 2021
“A majority of Republicans and independents who lean to the Republican Party (61%) say spending on police should be increased, with 29% saying it should be increased a lot; 5% of Republicans say spending should be decreased, and 33% say it should stay about the same,” the Pew Research Center reported.
Democrats, while not firmly in favor of defunding the police, show a propensity that looks more favorably on cutting funding, analysis showed.
Around “34% of Democrats and Democratic leaners say police funding should be increased, 25% say it should be decreased and 40% would like to see it stay about the same,” according to Pew.
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The poll was taken among 11,505 adults between Sept. 13 and Sept. 19 with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 1.6 percentage points.
