As the debate to defund or redirect funds from police departments across the U.S. wages on, the majority of Americans oppose the move, three new polls show.
Just two in 10 back defunding the police, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports survey, indicating strong national support for law enforcement, even among African Americans.
Sixty-six adults say they oppose cutting the police budget in their community and redirecting it into social services, that’s an increase from 59 percent last month. Only 23 percent support defunding the police departments. The view is shared by both white Americans as well as African Americans. Fifty-seven percent of black people oppose defunding law enforcement within their community, with 69 percent of whites.
The survey reported the majority of people (61 percent) believe defunding or redirecting funds from the police departments will lead to higher crime rates, whereas only 12 percent see it cutting crime.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll found similar results. Although the majority of respondents (63 percent) say they support the Black Lives Matter movement, fifty-five percent are against redirecting police funding, and 63 percent are against paying reparations to black Americans whose ancestors were enslaved.
A recent Associated Press/National Opinion Research Center poll released in late June found that 95 percent of Americans support protesters, but just 25 percent support defunding the police.
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