A majority of voters oppose budget cuts to local law enforcement, rejecting calls from some liberal activists to “defund the police.”
The Quinnipiac University survey revealed that 54% of registered voters are against the notion of “cutting some funding from police departments in [their] community and shifting it to social services,” with 41% expressing support. Proposals to reduce police funding and provide more resources for social programs are under consideration in municipalities across the United States.
“Voters come out very strongly against defunding,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said in prepared remarks.
Democrats and Republicans view the matter differently.
According to the Quinnipiac poll, 80% of Republicans are against such measures, with just 10% expressing support. By comparison, 70% of Democrats back efforts to shift some police resources to social services, with 24% opposed. Meanwhile, a majority of independent voters are opposed — 56% are against reducing police funding, while 40% are supportive.
Suburban voters were relatively split on the issue, with 48% opposed and 46% favorable. Among city voters, the poll found 51% of registered voters opposed to reductions in funding for the police in favor of spending more on social services, while 44% were opposed. Backing for maintaining police funding was the most pronounced with voters in rural communities, with 68% of such voters registering opposition to cuts and 28% giving the thumbs up.
The Quinnipiac survey was conducted Thursday through Monday and has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.
