Mitt Romney Marches as Religious Support for Trump Falters
Mitt Romney Marches as Religious Support for Trump Falters
According to PRRI data, President Donald Trump’s favorability among white evangelical Protestants has gone from 77% to 62% over the last three months. In Religion News Service, Jack Jenkins writes of this decline, following Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-UT) recent appearance at a Black Lives Matter protest in Washington, D.C, which drew the ire of the president. According to PRRI Research Director Natalie Jackson, data from 2019 shows that “a majority (55%) of Mormons hold favorable views of President Trump, including 24% who hold very favorable views. Four in ten (40%) Mormons hold unfavorable views of the president. However, among Utah residents, Trump’s favorability drops to 46%, with half (50%) holding unfavorable views. Only 16% of Utah residents report very favorable views of the president.”
Will Roger Goodell Take a Knee in 2020?
In 2017, Republicans were more than twice as likely as Democrats to support a requirement that pro-athletes stand during the national anthem (89% vs. 43%, respectively). At the time, Americans saw agreement on why the protest began. Republicans (63%), Democrats (67%) and independents (70%) said the protests began over the issue of police treatment of African Americans. In recent days the NFL has apologized for how they handled the situation in 2017, as more attention is given to the issue. According to CBS Sports, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell could be among those taking a knee in 2020.
Religious Activism on the Rise Following the Death of George Floyd
In an article for Reuters, Andrea Shalal looks at PRRI data gathered before and after the death of George Floyd. “Data collected after Floyd’s death from the non-partisan Public Religion Research Institute showed here 37% of white Catholics held favorable views of Trump, down from 49% in 2019, and a drop from the 60% who voted here for Trump in 2016,” she writes. Shalal’s piece looks at the rise in religious activism in wake of Floyd’s death, specifically near the White House. “Conservative and mainstream religious leaders are joining with Black churches, progressive Catholics and Protestants, Jewish synagogues and other faith groups in calling for police reforms and efforts to dismantle racism.”
Congress Unveils Police Reform Bill
PRRI data from 2017 shows that 57% of Americans do not believe that white Americans and black Americans are treated the same by the police.“This number is augmented in the black community where more than eight in ten (83%) black Americans and nearly two-thirds (65%) of Hispanic Americans do not believe blacks and other minorities are treated the same by police as whites,” writes PRRI’s Douglas Barclay. On Monday, Congress unveiled a police reform bill that will tackle that issue. “The world is witnessing the birth of a new movement in our country,” Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-CA) said on Monday. “A profession where you have the power to kill should be a profession where you have highly trained officers accountable to the public.”
Harry Potter Star Comes Out in Support for Transgender Rights
Across the U.S. more than six in ten (62%) Americans say they have become more supportive toward transgender rights compared to their views five years ago. Following recent comments made by Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling about transgender women, Daniel Radcliffe, the star of the series’ films, authored a supportive message on transgender rights. Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either [Rowling] or I,” Radcliffe writes for The Trevor Project.