Poll shows declining support for Black Lives Matter on Juneteenth.

Support for Black Lives Matter Movement Drops as Juneteenth Holiday is Celebrated

As the United States officially celebrates the third annual Juneteenth holiday on Monday, support for the Black Lives Matter movement has seen a significant decline among Americans, according to a recent poll.

About 51% of adults expressed their support for the cause of BLM, as reported by the Pew Research Center survey conducted last week. However, this number marks an all-time low since Pew began asking the question in 2017. In June 2020, during the George Floyd protests, support for the activist organization stood at a higher 67%.

Changing Attitudes

Interestingly, the poll revealed that opposition to the BLM movement has grown over the past three years. Forty-six percent of respondents stated their opposition, a significant increase from the 31% recorded just three years ago. Additionally, 61% of participants believe that race relations have not improved since then.

President Joe Biden recently declared Juneteenth a federal holiday in June 2021, commemorating the day when the last remaining slaves in Galveston, Texas, discovered their freedom on June 19, 1865, after the end of the Civil War. This day has long been celebrated by the black American community.

Pessimism and Racial Activism

Despite the nation’s increased focus on racism in recent years, the majority of people remain pessimistic about the future. The latest survey revealed that 57% of respondents believe that racial activism will not lead to meaningful change for black people, or has not done so already.

The poll, conducted from April 10-16, involved 5,073 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of 1.7 percentage points.

It is worth noting that opposition to BLM has grown in the last three years due to concerns surrounding the organization’s scrutiny of its members and handling of donations.