Less than half of Republican voters view the slogan “Black Lives Matter” negatively, according to a new poll taken amid nationwide protests to demand racial equality in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death.
When a YouGov survey for the Economist asked voters if “Black Lives Matter” carries a positive or negative association, 25% of Republicans said they viewed the slogan positively, with 29% saying they were neutral. Forty-four percent of Republicans said the slogan carries a negative association. Comparatively, 77% of Democrats view “Black Lives Matter” positively, as do 50% of independent voters.
The YouGov poll surveyed 1,241 registered voters Sunday through Tuesday and had a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points. Among the additional findings related to the “Black Lives Matter” slogan:
- Overall, 54% of registered voters view it positively, with 18% neutral and 25% viewing it negatively.
- Eighty-three percent of self-described liberals view it positively, compared to 52% of moderates and 25% of conservatives. Forty-six percent of conservatives view the slogan negatively.
The slogan “Black Lives Matter” is popular with protesters who are demanding aggressive reform of local police departments in the wake of the death of Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
