Poll: Americans Outraged by George Floyd’s Death. But It Stops There.

Americans across the country say they are “shocked” and “disgusted” over the alleged murder of George Floyd, according to new analysis of open-ended polling, but for many, their thoughts on the death that has prompted demonstrations around the world stops there — and often comes with a caveat condemning violent protesters.

Morning Consult asked roughly 2,000 U.S. adults to describe their reaction to news they had seen, read or heard about Floyd’s death, former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin and the resulting Black Lives matter protests. Respondents were able to write whatever they wanted in a blank space.

The open-ended responses reveal a country that is aware, conflicted and confused on how to feel about the killing, which occurred on May 25 and drove millions worldwide to take to the streets to protest police brutality and racial inequality. While roughly 2 in 5 U.S. adults expressed outrage, relatively few called for action, and most stopped short of acknowledging systemic racism in their answers.

Morning Consult analyzed and visualized the open-ended responses, collected May 31-June 1, which varied from one word to one paragraph. Responses fell into five major categories, with many belonging to more than one:

• General outrage over the incident, which at 41 percent is the largest share.
• Calls for order as some protest became violent, at 23 percent.
• Labeling both sides as wrong, including placing blame on Chauvin but admonishing protesters, at 17 percent.
• Calls for justice for Floyd and the black community, at 12 percent. 
• Calls for societal or government change, at 3 percent. 

While Americans of all political stripes expressed anger, Democrats were more inclined to do so than Republicans and independents. Members of the GOP were 50 percent more likely than Democrats to call for order amid the protests and twice as likely to blame “both sides” for wrongdoing during the protests.