Americans Divided on Stop and Frisk

May 24, 2013, 3:11 PM GMT+0

Americans are nearly evenly divided on the issue of stop and frisk, though Republicans are much more likely to back the measure.

Argument recently ended in the court case challenging the constitutionality of the NYPD's large stop and frisk program. Every year in New York City just over half a million people are stopped by the police and frisked for illegal items. Critics say that many of these stops are illegal as officers search through possessions, while noting that the vast majority of people stopped are young, non-white men. The NYPD and the Mayor, however, say that stop and frisk has been a major contributor to New York City's dramatic drop in crime rates.

The latest research from YouGov shows that Americans are slightly more likely to oppose (49%) stop and frisk than they are to support it (41%).

Republicans, however, are much more likely to support stop and frisk. 60% of Republicans support the policy, while only 34% of Democrats and 37% of Independents feel the same. 59% of Democrats are against stop and frisk.

Asked whether people support the use of stop and frisk in their local area, responses were almost identical. 48% would oppose stop and frisk in their area, while 41% support it.

Complete results are available here.

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