George Floyd Protests Failed to Make Their Lives Better, Black Voters Say

In this NewsBusters article, Craig Bannister reports on a Rasmussen survey finding broad skepticism that the 2020 George Floyd protests improved life for black Americans.

• Rasmussen asked likely U.S. voters whether the protests over George Floyd’s death made life better for most African Americans.
• Only 24% of black voters said the protests made life better, while 51% said they did not.
• Among all voters surveyed, just 20% said the protests improved life for African Americans, while 54% said they did not.
• Hispanic voters were the most likely racial demographic cited in the article to say the protests helped, at 33%.
• The article argues that legacy media narratives have downplayed the destructive side of the 2020 unrest.
• Bannister cites more than $1 billion in riot damage, describing the unrest as historically destructive and harmful to many minority-owned businesses and properties.
• Younger voters were more likely than older voters to see the protests as beneficial, with 39% of voters ages 18–29 saying they helped compared with 13% of voters 65 and older.
• Democrats were more likely than Republicans or independents to say the protests benefited African Americans.
• The survey also found that 64% of voters expect racial protests as widespread as the George Floyd protests to happen again in the next few years.

Read the full story: https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/cnsnews/craig-bannister/2026/05/21/george-floyd-protests-failed-make-their-lives-better-black