Pop musician Britney Spears testified publicly last week that she wanted to end the legal conservatorship that has given other people control over her finances, personal affairs, work, and property management. Spears has lived under the conservatorship for 13 years while performing, touring, and continuing to work in entertainment.
During her testimony, Spears said the arrangement had become “abusive” and alleged that her conservators — including her father, who controls her finances — had forced her to work against her will. A YouGov Daily poll finds that 71% of Americans have heard about Spears’ testimony, and two-thirds of Americans (65%) believe the conservatorship should be terminated, as she requested.
Who has heard about Spears’ testimony?
Americans of all age groups have heard about Spears’ petition.
Americans under the age of 30 are especially likely to say they have heard “a lot” about Spears’ testimony (26%). Three in five (63%) adults under 30 have heard either “a lot” (26%) or “a little” (37%) about the event.
Three-quarters (73%) of 30-to 44-year-olds say they have heard about Spears’ words (Note: Spears herself is 39 years old). Seven in 10 adults who are 45 to 64 years old (70%) have heard about it, and Americans over 65 years old (79%) are the most likely to say they heard either “a lot” or “a little” about the testimony.
Men (70%) and women (72%) are equally likely to have heard about the testimony.
Americans support Spears’ request
Americans overwhelmingly support the termination of Spears’ conservatorship, regardless of their age or opinion of the singer. Those who have a favorable view of her support the end of the arrangement by 83% to 9%. Even those who have an unfavorable view of her believe that her wishes should be respected (50% say the conservatorship should be ended, 19% disagree).
Those who heard a lot about Spears’ going to court and publicly asking for the conservatorship to be terminated are especially likely to support her request: 76% of those who have heard “a lot” about her testimony and 73% of those who heard “a little” believe that she should be released from the deal and given control over her own finances.
See the toplines and crosstabs from this YouGov Daily poll
Methodology: 1,000 U.S. Citizens, aged 18 and over, were surveyed for this poll on June 25 - 28, 2021. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in Internet panel using sample matching. A random sample (stratified by gender, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration) was selected from the 2016 American Community Study. The sample was weighted based on gender, age, race, education, news interest, and 2016 Presidential vote (or non-vote). The margin of error for the entire sample is 3.7%
Image: Getty
