by Natalia Mittlestadt
As confederate statues nationwide are being vandalized and toppled, while other are being peaceably removed, a new poll shows young, college-educated Americans are the most likely age demographic to agree that these monuments no longer have a place in society.
The National Tracking Poll by Morning Consult and Politico, conducted June 6-7, found that 43 percent of Americans between the ages of 18-34 believe that statues of confederate leaders should be taken down, while 26 percent think they should remain standing. The other 31 percent did not know or had no opinion on the statues.
In comparison, older age groups were less likely to hold the belief that the same statues should be removed, with 39 percent of Americans between the ages of ages 35-44 agreeing they should be taken down and 25 percent of Americans between the ages of 45-64 saying the same. Meanwhile, 29 percent of Americans 65 and older said that confederate statues should be removed.
While a larger percentage of Americans 65 and older said the statues should be taken down than those between the ages of 45-64, Americans 65 and older were the most likely of any other demographic to say the statues should “remain standing,” at 57 percent. Thus, the older the age group, the more likely they were to be in favor of keeping the statues, with 35-44 at 36 percent, 45-65 at 52 percent, and 65+ at 57 percent.
Education also played a factor in which Americans favor leaving confederate statues in place, or removing them.
The poll found that college-educated respondents were the most likely to favor removing the statues, with 45 percent of those with post-graduate degrees said the statues should go and 40 percent of those with Bachelors degrees saying they should be removed. Meanwhile, just 27 percent of those respondents without Bachelors degrees said that confederate statues should not remain in place.
When political parties are considered with regard to keeping the statues, 71 percent of Republicans agree and 25 percent of Democrats agree.
The same survey asked respondents about their views on the confederate flag.
On this question, the 18-34 age group answered similarly regarding to how they responded to the previous question on confederate statues.
When asked whether they viewed the confederate flag as a symbol of Southern pride or a symbol of racism, 48 percent agreed with the latter, whereas only 25 percent believed the former.
– – –
Natalia Mittelstadt is a Virginia Campus Correspondent and interning with the Leadership Institute in the Office of the President this summer. She is originally from Swedesboro, New Jersey and graduated this May from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a concentration in journalism and American government.
Photo “Confederate Statue” by Mobilus In Mobili. CC BY-SA 2.0.
