Three quarters of people in the US view George Floyd’s murder as part of a problem of racial injustice — a major shift from a few years ago.
According to a 3-4 June Ipsos poll, 74% believe the killing was “a sign of broader problems in the treatment of African Americans by the police” and only 26% that it was an “isolated incident”. Six years ago, shortly after the police murders of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, 43% said they were signs of a broader problem, and 51% isolated incidents.
In 2014, 60% of white Americans thought those killings were isolated incidents; today 70% think Floyd’s murder shows a broader problem. (The percentages among black and hispanic Americans have also risen substantially.) And 55% of Republicans.
Only 32% of Americans approve of Trump’s reaction to Floyd’s death and 66% disapprove — even worse than on his response to Covid-19.
