Public approval of the Black Lives Matter movement has plunged by a net 25 points in the past two months, according to data from a Marquette Law School Poll conducted between August 4 and August 9.

The result was released on Wednesday by poll director Charles Franklin.

In a statewide poll conducted between June 14 and June 18, the Marquette Law School Poll showed 61 percent of Wisconsin voters approved of the Black Lives Matter protests, while 36 percent disapproved of those protest. By a margin of 25 points, more Wisconsin voters approved of BLM than disapproved of BLM.

That same Marquette Law School poll conducted in Jun showed Joe Biden leading Donald Trump by 6 points in the state, 50 percent to 44 percent.

In a subsequent statewide poll conducted between August 4 and August 9, the Marquette Law School Poll saw approval drop 13 points, from 61 percent to 48 percent, while disapproval jumped by 12 points, from 36 percent to 48 percent. Stunningly, the net margin of approval versus disapproval among Wisconsin voters of BLM has dropped from plus 25 to zero in just two months.

That same Marquette Law School Poll conducted in August showed that Joe Biden leads Donald Trump by 5 points in the state, 49 percent to 44 percent.

Respondents were asked: “Do you approve or disapprove of the mass protests that have been held since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis?”

Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll, provided the following analysis of the poll results:

Approval of protests
In June approval of protests was widespread, with 61 percent approving of the protests and 36 percent disapproving. Approval declined in August with 48 percent approving and 48 percent disapproving.

Approval remained strong among Black or Hispanic respondents and in the City of Milwaukee, but declined among white respondents and in the four media-market regions of the state outside the city of Milwaukee. Approval also declined in each of five urban-suburban categories including cities, suburbs, exurbs, small towns and rural areas. In August more respondents approved than disapproved in cities. Suburban areas, which were substantially net positive in June, became net negative on approval in August, though not as negative as exurban, small towns or rural areas. Net approval also declined across all three categories of party identification, with the largest declines among Republicans.

Favorable and unfavorable views of the Black Lives Matter movement
Overall more Wisconsin respondents have a favorable rather than unfavorable view of the Black Lives Matter movement. In June 59 percent were favorable and 27 percent were unfavorable. In August favorable views declined though a plurality held favorable views, 49 percent favorable to 37 percent unfavorable.

Black or Hispanic respondents maintained a strongly favorable view while white respondents views became much less favorable, with 47 percent favorable and 40 percent unfavorable in August. Net favorability declined in all media markets of the state except for the city of Milwaukee. Net favorability slightly increased in principal cities, but declined in suburbs, exurbs, small towns and rural areas. Favorability declined in all partisan groups, though substantially with Republicans and modestly with Democrats.

Franklin also provided this analysis of approval and disapproval of Black Lives Matter, broken down by geographic location, party affiliation, and race or ethnicity, when responding to the question, “Do you approve or disapprove of the mass protests that have been held since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis?”

In June, 59 percent of white voters approved of the Black Lives Matter protest, while 38 percent disapproved. In August, approval among white voters dropped precipitously to 45 percent, while disapproval increased to 51 percent.

In contrast, there was virtually no change of approval for Black Lives Matter among black or Hispanic voters between the June poll and the August poll.

In June, 77 percent of black or Hispanic voters approved of the Black Lives Matter protests, while 19 percent disapproved. In August, 78 percent of black or Hispanic voters approved of the Black Lives Matter protests, while 20 percent disapproved.

There was also a significant disparity of voter attitudes by geographic region within the state.

Support for Black Lives Matter was highest in urban areas, declined in the suburbs, and plunged in rural areas.

Notably, while approval for Black Lives Matter protests declined by a net 25 points statewide in the two months between June and August, it actually increased by a net of 5 points in the city of Milwaukee over the same two month period.

In the city of Milwaukee, 78 percent of poll respondents approved of the Black Lives Matter protests in June, while 20 percent disapproved, for a net approval margin of 58 points. In August, 80 percent of poll respondents in the city of Milwaukee approved of the Black Lives Matter protests, while 17 percent disapproved, for a net approval margin of 63 points, five points more than the June net approval margin.

In suburban Milwaukee, 58 percent of poll respondents approved of the Black Lives Matter protests in June, while 37 percent disapproved, for a net approval margin of 21 points. In August, only 47 percent of poll respondents in suburban Milwaukee approved of Black Lives Matter protests, while 51 percent disapproved, for a net disapproval margin of four points, 25 points below the net approval margin of June.

In Madison, the state capital, 66 percent of poll respondents approved of the Black Lives Matter protests in June, while 31 percent disapproved, for a net approval margin of 35 points. In August, only 50 percent of poll respondents in Madison approved of Black Lives Matter protests, while 43 percent disapproved, for a net approval margin of seven points, 28 points below the net approval margin of June.

In the Green Bay/Appleton area, 58 percent of poll respondents approved of the Black Lives Matter protests in June, while 40 percent disapproved, for a net approval margin of 18 points. In August, only 46 percent of poll respondents in Green Bay/Appleton approved of the Black Lives Matte protests, while 49 percent disapproved, for a net disapproval margin of three points, 21 points below the net approval margin of June.

In the rest of the state, largely rural, 55 percent of poll respondents approved of the Black Lives Matter protests in June, while 41 percent disapproved, for a net approval margin of 14 points. In August, only 38 percent of rural poll respondents approved of the Black Lives Matter protests, while a stunning 58 percent disapproved, for a net disapproval margin of 20 points, 34 points below the net approval margin of June.

The Marquette Law School Poll of 801 registered voters was conducted between August 4 and August 9 and has a margin of error of 3.9 percent.

Matt Perdie / Breitbart News

Marquette Law School Poll: Black Lives Matter Approval Plunges in Wisconsin

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