Poll: Blacks Approve, Whites Disapprove of Anthem Protests

Highlighted by an acute racial divide, most Americans disapprove of the national anthem protests among athletes, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday.

The overall results:

• Disapprove: 54 percent;
• Approve: 38 percent.

However, the results by race tell a different story:

• Whites who disapprove: 63 percent;
• Whites who approve: 30 percent;
• Blacks who disapprove: 17 percent;
• Blacks who approve: 74 percent.

The divide is similar in the results when adults were asked about policing in the country. Seven out of 10 whites favor the job police are doing in the country vs. 67 percent of blacks who disapprove.

But at the local level, blacks and whites agree — community policing gets high marks:

• Blacks approve: 68 percent;
• Whites approve: 88 percent.

"The message from Americans: The cop you know is the cop you trust," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

But perhaps most telling: 57 percent of blacks worry about police brutality compared to just 10 percent of whites.

From Oct. 7-9, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,391 adults nationwide with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percentage points.

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