Over two-thirds of Americans don't think the Washington Redskins should change their name, though the amount who think they should has gone up since the '90s
Native American groups have long attempted to have the NFL's Washington Redskins change their name and mascot, saying that they are offensive. While a lawsuit on the matter is currently working its way through the court, new YouGov research reveals that over two-thirds of Americans say that the name should stay the same.
When asked whether they think the Redskins should change their name because some people say it is offensive to Native Americans, 17% said yes and 69% said no.
While those who don't think the team should change their name are clearly in the majority, the number who do think they should change the name has gone up since the 1990s. In a 1992 ABC/Washington Post poll, only 7% thought the team should change their name.
Our survey also investigated whether respondents personally found the name offensive. 18% said they found it offensive that there was an NFL team named the "Redskins" - almost exact same number who thought that they should change their name.
76% didn't think it was offensive.
Overall, there was some split among demographic groups in the results. Democrats and people 18-29 were more likely to find the name offensive or say that the Redskins should change it.
While our results show little popular support across the country for a name change, discussion of the topic has redoubled in recent weeks after a D.C. council member introduced a resolution calling on the team to change it. This in turn prompted further criticism from Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III on Twitter.
Complete results can be found here.
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