A new survey has now revealed that a majority of Americans now hold a negative view of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations occurring on college campuses across the nation.
YouGov’s survey revealed that fifty percent of respondents are in opposition to the recent demonstrations.
A total of 26% of respondents expressed support for the demonstrations, whereas 25% remained undecided regarding their stance.
Although the majority of Americans reported being aware of the arrests that occurred on campus, the majority of respondents were “unsure” of how they felt about a variety of protest-related issues.
A total of 38% of respondents expressed the view that the protests are nonviolent, whereas 30% maintained the perspective that the demonstrations are violent. Thirty-two percent of respondents indicated uncertainty.
33% of those queried regarding the response of university administrators to the protests responded with uncertainty.
A further 33% of respondents indicated that administrators’ responses were not severe enough, whereas 16% felt that the responses were excessively severe. 18% of respondents said it was about right.
Institutions throughout the nation have requested the assistance of on-campus police and local law enforcement to disperse encampments and demonstrations, which have resulted in over 2,000 arrests.
A total of 29% of the participants expressed uncertainty regarding their opinion of the police’s reaction to the demonstrations. 25% of respondents said it has not been severe enough, while another 25% said it is about right.
A quarter of respondents felt that the police response, which at some institutions included the use of pepper spray, was excessively severe.
The demonstrations originated at Columbia University a month ago and subsequently spread to over 400 institutions nationwide.
Universities have been urged by students and members of the community to divest from Israeli or arms-supplying corporations.
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