Reuters/Ipsos Poll: White Consciousness is Coalescing in the U.S.

Larry Sabato is rather alarmed at the results of a new Reuters/Ipsos poll (with a good sample size of 5,360). The poll’s full results and methodology are available here, with crosstabs available here.

Sabato writes:

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in conjunction with the University of Virginia Center for Politics finds that while there is relatively little national endorsement of neo-Nazis and white supremacists, there are troubling levels of support for certain racially-charged ideas and attitudes frequently expressed by extremist groups…

Whoa!

[D]espite the events in Charlottesville and elsewhere, few people surveyed expressed direct support for hate groups. But on the other hand, it will be disturbing to many that a not insubstantial proportion of those polled demonstrated neutrality and indifference or, worse, expressed support for antiquated views on race.

“Disturbing”? “Antiquated views on race”?

Among the more interesting findings (Remember: this is a poll of all Americans, not just white Americans.):

  • 14% of all respondents both 1) agreed that white people are under attack and 2) disagreed with the statement that nonwhites are under attack.
  • 39% of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement that “white people are currently under attack in this country”.
  • 31% of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed that the country needs to “protect and preserve its White European heritage.”
  • 33% failed to express tolerance of interracial marriage.
  • 57% said that Confederate monuments should remain in public spaces.
  • A plurality of respondents were against BLM, with 37% somewhat or strongly opposing the organization.

Regarding the Alt Right, there are some very interesting numbers:

  • 6% of respondents said they strongly or somewhat supported the alt-right.
  • 8% expressed support for white nationalism.
  • 4% expressed support for neo-Nazism.
  • For both the alt-right and white nationalism questions, the poll found that about one-fifth of respondents said they neither supported nor opposed those groups or movements, perhaps revealing some potential additional support.

This last point really gets under Sabato’s craw. With respect to direct questions about the Alt Right (and, I suspect, even more general questions where certain answers might be construed as ‘pro white’), there appears to be a major Bradley Effect dynamic going on with white respondents:

A fundamental question that this poll sought to help clarify is whether there is a sizable portion of the American public that could be receptive to the types of messages being disseminated by groups associated with the alt-right and/or white supremacy. When respondents were asked if they supported the alt-right, white nationalists, and neo-Nazis, only a small percentage said they did. But for both the alt-right and white nationalism, about one-fifth of respondents said they neither supported nor opposed those groups or movements.

Within this poll a sizable number of respondents selected the “neither agree nor disagree” option. Given the racially-charged and controversial nature of some of the statements polled, these “middling” answers seemed remarkable, particularly given the fact that a “Don’t know” option was also presented and was available if, for example, one wished to express uncertainty or a lack of knowledge.

These are heartening numbers. While the MSM tries to portray the Alt Right as a very marginal, insignificant group (while simultaneously presenting the ‘neo-Nazi’ threat as heightened and worrisome), as a country we may have finally turned the corner towards a healthy, white identitarian consciousness in America.

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