Most Want to Prosecute Historic Statue Vandals

Most voters want the government to stop the attacks on historical monuments and prosecute those who have desecrated them.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 56% of Likely U.S. Voters give the government poor marks for its response to the violent racial protests in some cities, including attacks on historical monuments. Just 23% believe the government has done a good or excellent job. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Fifty-seven percent (57%) think the government should stop these violent protests. Twenty-nine percent (29%) say they should be allowed to continue. Fourteen percent (14%) are not sure.

Seventy-six percent (76%) of Republicans and 55% of voters not affiliated with either major political party say the government should halt these violent protests, but just 43% of Democrats agree.

Fifty-six percent (56%) of all voters also believe the government should criminally prosecute those who have damaged or destroyed historical monuments. Thirty-two percent (32%) oppose prosecution, while 11% are undecided.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted July 5-6, 2020 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Most voters still rally around Mount Rushmore and historic statues around the country that may be out of line with modern-day sentiments. But there is growing support among those under 40 to do away with them.

Many of the protests have targeted statues of prominent Americans like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson who were slave owners more than 200 years ago. But latter-day presidents like Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt also have been targeted for no apparent reason.

Just 44% of blacks want the government to stop the protests, compared to 60% of whites and 56% of other minority voters. Most whites (64%) and a plurality (46%) of other minority voters want those who damaged or destroyed historical monuments criminally prosecuted; most blacks (57%) don’t. Most voters in all three groups, however, are critical of the government’s response to the violent protests.

Voters of all ages are in general agreement that the government should end the violent protests. But those 40 and over are more strongly supportive of prosecuting those who have attacked the monuments.

Eighty percent (80%) of Republicans and 55% of unaffiliated voters want criminal prosecutions, but just 37% of Democrats share that view.

Among voters who want the government to stop the violent protests, 82% favor criminal prosecution of those who have damaged or destroyed historical monuments. Only 21% of those who want the protests to continue agree.

Seventy-three percent (73%) of all voters agreed with President Trump last year when he said in a speech that “together we are part of one of the greatest stories ever told – the story of America. It is the epic tale of a great nation whose people have risked everything for what they know is right.” Twelve percent (12%) disagreed.

As recently as last November, 73% of American Adults said all Americans should be proud of this country’s history. Just 14% said Americans should be ashamed.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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