Nearly four times as many Americans would prefer more police rather than less: Poll

More than 40% of Americans would prefer to see a greater police presence in their neighborhoods, a new Just the News Daily Poll with Scott Rasmussen reveals. 

Just 12% of respondents to the poll said they'd prefer less police presence where they live, while 37% said they would favor neither more nor less police patrols in their neighborhoods. In total, over three-quarters of all Americans would like to see police presence in their area either remain the same or increase. (Only 7% of respondents said they were "not sure.")

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Just the News Daily Poll

With Scott Rasmussen

The relatively high police favorability numbers come even after several months of sustained anti-police activism championed by Black Lives Matter and other progressive groups. Critics have claimed that American police forces are inherently racist and/or fascistic and that they should be "defunded" or outright abolished. 

The national survey of 1,200 registered voters was conducted Jul. 30 – Aug. 1, 2020 by Scott Rasmussen, a polling veteran. The margin of sampling error is +/- 2.8% for full sample. 

To see the full demographic cross-tabulations for this polling question, click here.

To see the methodology and sample demographics for this polling question, click here.