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Poll finds surging respect for police

Posted at 4:03 PM, Oct 24, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-24 19:03:40-04

Despite tensions between citizens and the police in recent years, a Gallup poll released Monday shows that respect for law enforcement has almost reached an all-time high. 

According to Gallup, 76 percent of respondents said that they have a great deal of respect for police in their area. That is up from 64 percent in 2015 who said they had a great deal of respect for police. 

The last time support for police has been this high since 1967, when 77 percent of Americans said they had a great deal of respect for their local law enforcement. 

Although almost all groups of Americans said they respect police, some groups were more likely to say they highly respect police. According to Gallup, 80 percent of whites said they have a great deal of respect for police, compared to 67 percent for nonwhites. 

Republicans were much more likely than independents and Democrats to highly respect police. Also older Americans said they were more apt to highly respect police. 

While Americans said they highly respect police, not as many claim to have confidence in law enforcement. In a poll released by Gallup in June, the poll found that 56 percent of respondents had a great deal of confidence in police. That survey also showed a larger gap between whites and nonwhites.