Poll: 61 Percent Of Wisconsinites Support Protests Against Racism, Police Brutality

Large majorities of Wisconsinites support the protests against racial injustice and police brutality that have swept across the state in the last month, a new poll from the Marquette University Law School found.

In Wisconsin 61 percent said they approve of the protests, while 36 percent said they disapproved.

The poll, which was taken between June 14 and June 18, was released the day after protesters in Madison beat a state senator and pulled down two statues at the state Capitol. Its results do not reflect public opinion or reaction to those events.

But the results are in line with national trends around the broader protest movement. National polls have found strong support for the protests themselves and strong identification with messages that racism and discrimination are problems that need to be addressed.

Differing Views On Black Lives Matter, Policing

In Wisconsin 59 percent of those polled said they support the Black Lives Matter movement, with large support among communities of color. Eighty-one percent of Black and 73 percent of Hispanic respondents had a favorable view of the movement. Fifty-seven percent of white respondents say they view the movement favorably.

The poll found strong overall support for police, with 72 percent who say they view law enforcement favorably and 18 who say they have an unfavorable view of police.

But views about police also varied widely depending on the race of respondents, with 90 percent of white residents surveyed saying police make them feel “mostly safe.” That number dropped to 43 percent for Black respondents.

It was the first time the respected statewide poll has been conducted since the nationwide protest movement was set off by the alleged murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in late May.

Only 30 percent said they approve of President Donald Trump’s handling of the nationwide protests, while 58 percent disapproved, and 11 percent said they don’t know.

Biden’s Lead Widens Over Trump

In the presidential race, the poll found presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s lead over Trump widening from a 3 point lead in May to a comfortable 8 point margin in the latest poll.

The June poll found 49 percent supporting Biden and 41 percent backing Trump, giving Biden the biggest lead over Trump that Marquette has recorded in 2020. Another 10 percent said they wouldn’t vote for either candidate, they weren’t sure how they’d vote, or they declined to say who they planned to vote for in November.

Trump still holds a commanding lead over Biden among Republican voters with 83 percent saying they will vote for him, although that support dropped 10 points from May.

But Biden made inroads with independent voters, gaining 11 points in support from them since May to replace Trump as their top choice.

Anxieties About COVID-19 Fading

Marquette’s last poll in May focused on the public’s opinion of the statewide “Safer at Home” order and Gov. Tony Evers’ handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. It found that 69 percent of voters said it was appropriate to close schools and businesses and restrict public gatherings. That poll was released on May 12; the state Supreme Court threw out the statewide stay-at-home order the next day.

In the latest poll, a large 83-percent majority of Wisconsinites said they are comfortable going to a friend or family member’s home. But despite the poll finding widespread comfort with other activities like sending children back to school and shopping, only 49 percent of respondents said they are comfortable eating at a restaurant. Another 49 percent said they would be uncomfortable.

Only 19 percent of those surveyed said they were very worried about COVID-19, down 6 percentage points from May. Another 36 percent said they were somewhat worried, while 24 percent said they were not worried at all about the pandemic.

Support for Gov. Tony Evers’ handling of the outbreak declined to 58 percent, down 6 points from the 64 percent who approved of his handling in May.

Marquette pollsters talked to 805 registered Wisconsin voters for the survey, and the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.