Views of Race, Policing and Black Lives Matter in the 5 Years Since George Floyd’s Killing
Americans have expressed skepticism that attention to racial issues after Floyd’s killing led to changes that improved Black people’s lives.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Criminal Justice
All
Criminal Justice
Publications
-
-
On issue after issue, Americans say things are going better locally than nationally
On issues as varied as education and crime, Americans often have a rosier view of how things are going in their communities than in the nation as a whole.
-
Biden granted more acts of clemency than any prior president
Former President Joe Biden granted 4,245 acts of clemency during his four-year tenure in the White House, more than any previous president on record.
-
Acts of clemency are increasingly common late in a president’s term
More than 90% of Joe Biden’s total acts of clemency have come in his final weeks in the White House.
-
Most Black Americans Believe U.S. Institutions Were Designed To Hold Black People Back
Those who experienced racial discrimination are more likely to say these institutions intentionally or negligently harm Black people.
-
Cultural Issues and the 2024 Election
Voters who support Biden and Trump have starkly different opinions on many issues, and these two groups are divided internally as well.
-
What the data says about crime in the U.S.
Federal statistics show dramatic declines in U.S. violent and property crime rates since the early 1990s.
-
Fewer than 1% of federal criminal defendants were acquitted in 2022
In 2022, only 290 of 71,954 defendants in federal criminal cases – about 0.4% – went to trial and were acquitted.
-
Before release of video showing Tyre Nichols’ beating, public views of police conduct had improved modestly
Prior to the Tyre Nichols video release, views of police conduct in the U.S. had improved in three of four measures, with crime an exception.
-
Black Americans differ from other U.S. adults over whether individual or structural racism is a bigger problem
About half of Black adults (52%) say racism in U.S. laws is the bigger problem for Black people, while 43% cite racism by individuals.
