That gap gets even larger when isolating the polling results of white Americans.
Two-thirds (67 percent) of white Americans say that protests by Americans against government mistreatment always leave the country better off, but only 48 percent of whites say the same when asked whether the country is better off when black Americans protest unfair treatment by the government.
“Most white Americans generally believe that protests are good for the country, but they hold significant reservations about protests led by African Americans,” said Robert P. Jones, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, in a statement released with the new poll. “Among white Americans, strong support for protesting government mistreatment drops dramatically when protesters are identified as black Americans.”
The same poll found that minorities are more likely to say the country is better off when black Americans protest unfair treatment — 56 percent of minorities polled said that Americans protesting always makes the country better, while 65 percent of minorities polled said that protests by black Americans always make the country better.
The polling comes as the current Black Lives Matter Protest movement is nearing its 11th month, and many of the most visible leaders of those efforts continue to face backlash and questions about the legitimacy of their grievances and message.

