Poll: 62% of Americans Favor Keeping Confederate Statues

Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart statue in Richmond, Virginia

A new Marist poll finds that 62% of Americans believe statues of Confederate leaders should be allowed to stand. What’s more, a majority of self-identified “Soft Democrats” say Confederate monuments should remain.

The survey of 1,125 adults (at least 18 years of age), conducted  August 14-15, 2017 and sponsored in collaboration with NPR and PBS NewsHour, asked:

“Do you think statues honoring leaders of the Confederacy should?”

Results for “Independent” respondents mirrored that of all respondents, while Democrats favored removing the statues and Republicans were strongly in favor of preserving them:

“Remain as a historical symbol”:

• Total: 62%
• Democrats: 44%
• Republicans: 86%,
• Independents: 61%

“Be removed because they are offensive to some people”:

• Total: 27%
• Democrats: 47%,
• GOP: 6%,
• Independents: 27%

“Unsure”:

• Total: 11%,
• Democrats: 9%,
• Republicans: 8%,
• Independents: 12%

Among “Soft Democrats,” 52% said the statues should remain, while only 33% said they should be removed (15% unsure).

“Strong Democrats” favored removal, 57%-34%, with 9% unsure.

For the GOP, both strong (88%) and soft (86%) Republicans favored retaining the statutes honoring Confederate leaders, mirroring their overall average of 86%.