Voters See ‘Antifa’ Protesters Chiefly as Troublemakers

Voters are following the actions of the so-called “antifa” protesters and aren’t impressed with what they see.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that just 24% of Likely U.S. Voters have a favorable opinion of the antifa protesters, with eight percent (8%) who view them Very Favorably. Fifty-eight percent (58%) share an unfavorable opinion of these protesters, including 40% who have a Very Unfavorable one. Eighteen percent (18%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Fifty percent (50%) see the antifa protesters as primarily troublemakers looking to cause a public disturbance. Thirty percent (30%) disagree and view them instead as primarily a valid protest movement representing the concerns of many Americans. Twenty percent (20%) are not sure.

Seventy-one percent (71%) of voters say they have followed news reports about the antifa protesters around the country at least somewhat closely, with 37% who have been following Very Closely. Twenty-five percent (25%) have not been following news about these protesters closely, but that includes only six percent (6%) who aren’t following at all.

Among voters who have been following news reports about the antifa protesters Very Closely, 60% consider them primarily troublemakers.

Self-styled antifa or anti-fascist protesters have been in the news this year largely through their violent actions in opposition to conservative speakers and right-wing groups, most notably in Charlottesville, Virginia last month.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 14 and 17, 2017 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.

Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters think the media identifies more with the protesters than with the police in violent protest situations.

Voters under 40 are more likely than their elders to be undecided about the antifa protesters and their intentions.

Women are more likely than men to consider them part of a valid protest movement representing the concerns of many Americans. Blacks are much more likely than whites and other minority voters to consider them a legitimate protest movement.

Seventy-four percent (74%) of Republicans and 52% of voters not affiliated with either major party view the antifa protesters primarily as troublemakers. A plurality (48%) of Democrats says they are chiefly a valid protest movement.

Ninety-two percent (92%) of voters who Strongly Approve of the job President Trump is doing see the antifa protesters chiefly as troublemakers. Among those who Strongly Disapprove of the president’s job performance, 51% say the protesters are a valid movement.

Seventy-six percent (76%) of all voters believe there is a greater danger of political violence these days compared to past years. 

Fifty-one percent (51%) described the Occupy Wall Street protesters in 2011-2012 as a public nuisance rather than a valid protest movement.

Most voters also share an unfavorable opinion of the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Seventy percent (70%) of Americans rate the performance of the police in the area where they live as good or excellent. 

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

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