While Americans are Sharply Divided on Grand Jury Decisions in Ferguson and Staten Island, Most Police Officers are seen as Positively Impacting Communities

NEW YORK, Dec. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of recent grand jury decisions in Ferguson, MO and Staten Island, NY – along with the protests which have followed nationwide – national discussions have occurred on a variety of issues, including discrimination, police procedures, personal responsibility, and the delicate relationships between prosecutors and police forces.

Looking specifically at these cases, just over half of Americans support the grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer involved in the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri (52%); three in ten (30%) oppose the decision, while 10% are unsure and 8% say they have not followed the case at all.

American sentiments shift considerably when questioning turns to Staten Island. When asked about the decision not to indict the police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner in Staten Island, NY, a plurality of Americans (48%) oppose the decision and fewer than three in ten (28%) support it; 11% are unsure, while 13% have not followed the case at all.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,276 adults surveyed online between November 12 and 17, 2014. (Full results, including data tables, available here)

In both cases, opinions show divisions along racial lines:

• This is especially pronounced in regards to the decision in Ferguson, with the majority of white Americans supporting the decision (58%, with 24% opposed) while nearly two-thirds of African Americans oppose it (65%, with 23% supporting it).
• While opinions are divided in relation to the Staten Island decision as well, they are at least aligned directionally, with a plurality of white Americans (42%) and the majority of African Americans (78%) opposing the decision (with 33% and 11%, respectively, supporting it).

Most police officers seen as having a positive impact
In the midst of this unrest, it is important to recognize that a vast majority of Americans report positive sentiments toward police in general, with 85% believing that most police officers have a positive impact on the communities where they work. While divisions do exist between the percentages of white Americans (88%) and African Americans (72%) agreeing with this sentiment, strong majorities of each do support this point of view.

More divisive is the question of whether police officers should be given the benefit of the doubt in criminal proceedings. Nearly six in ten Americans agree with this sentiment overall, but white and black Americans are divided on the issue, with a majority of white Americans agreeing with this sentiment (59%) while a majority of African Americans disagree (56%).

Discrimination perceptions
When considering a list of specific areas of life in America, over half of Americans (53%) feel that blacks are discriminated against in the way they are treated by police and nearly half say they are discriminated against in getting full equality (47%) and in the way they are treated as human beings (46%).

While police procedures and conduct have been under something of a media microscope in recent weeks, it should be noted that the perception of blacks as discriminated against in the way they are treated by police has in fact declined since the beginning of the year (down 6 points from the 59% reported in January).

Strong majorities of African Americans feel blacks are discriminated against in the way they are treated by police (86%), in getting full equality (81%) and in the way they are treated as human beings (81%), among many other areas of life in America. Most notably, the perception among blacks that they are discriminated against in the way they are treated as human beings has grown considerably since January (up 10 points from the 71% observed at that time).

Prosecutorial process
Americans do recognize that vulnerabilities may exist in our justice system when it comes to criminal proceedings involving police officers. Seven in ten Americans (70% - 68% white, 83% African American) believe that state and local prosecutors involved in cases against police officers face a conflict of interest, while roughly six in ten (61% - 57% white, 82% African American) feel more specifically that prosecution of police officers should be handled at the federal level.

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Methodology
This Harris Poll was conducted online, in English, within the United States between December 8 and 10, 2014 among 2,276 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, The Harris Poll avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Poll surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in our panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of The Harris Poll.

The Harris Poll^® #110, December 11, 2014
By Larry Shannon-Missal, Managing Editor, The Harris Poll

About The Harris Poll®
Begun in 1963, The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys measuring public opinion in the U.S. and is highly regarded throughout the world. The nationally representative polls, conducted primarily online, measure the knowledge, opinions, behaviors and motivations of the general public. New and trended polls on a wide variety of subjects including politics, the economy, healthcare, foreign affairs, science and technology, sports and entertainment, and lifestyles are published weekly. For more information, or to see other recent polls, visit the Harris Poll News Room.

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SOURCE The Harris Poll

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