Republicans HALF as Likely to Say Chauvin Should Be Found Guilty of Murdering George Floyd

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

As the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd continues into its third week, a new poll shows a staggering partisan divide over the preferred outcome.

Friday was day 10 of the trial that has transfixed many, and saw the conclusion of several days of devastating testimony from medical experts as to the cause of Mr. Floyd’s death. Two weeks of riveting eyewitness testimony and wrenching video evidence has convinced a large majority of Chauvin’s guilt, but not everyone.

In a The Economist/YouGov Poll released this week, respondents were asked “Do you believe Derek Chauvin should be found guilty of murder?”

Among all respondents, 57 percent said “yes” Chauvin should be found guilty, with 25 percent saying they were “not sure” and just 18 percent saying “no.”

But among Republicans, only 31 percent said Chauvin should be found guilty, and 36 percent said he should not — twice as many as the overall respondents who said Chauvin should not be found guilty.

A similar gap existed between white men without college degrees — 43 percent of whom said Chauvin should be found guilty — and Black respondents, 79 percent of whom said Chauvin should be found guilty. Those disparities were smaller among white men with college degrees (49%), white women without degrees (51%), and white women with college degrees (65%).

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!