Just 36% of Americans think George Floyd was murdered by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, a more than 20% decrease from last summer.
According to a March 5 USA Today/Ipsos poll, “far fewer Americans personally believe George Floyd was murdered (36%) compared to last summer (60%).”
An analysis of the results attributes this shift to the 13-point increase in Americans who “don’t know how to characterize Floyd’s death.”
A total of 30% of respondents said Floyd’s death was “negligence on the part of the officer,” but not murder. Another 8% think it was an accident, while just 6% believe Chauvin “did nothing wrong.”
Nonetheless, 60% of participants in the survey hope Chauvin is convicted, compared to 15% who hope he is acquitted.
The poll also found that nearly 70% of Americans trust their local police to “promote justice and equal treatment for people of all races,” up from 56% when the same poll was conducted in June.
Meanwhile, trust in the Black Lives Matter organization has taken a hit, dropping 10 points since last summer.
The poll also found overwhelming opposition to the “defund the police” movement, with 58% of respondents either “somewhat” or “strongly” opposing the idea. That number jumps to 67% for “abolishing or eliminating the police.”
The survey was conducted between March 1-2 ahead of Chauvin’s trial, which began Monday in Minneapolis.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
