Pew Research: 8 Facts About #BlackLivesMatter

During the last 10 years, over 44 million tweets have used the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag, according to a Pew Research Center study. On an average day, around 3,000 tweets include the hashtag, generating discussions about racism, violence, and the criminal justice system.

The hashtag has gained significant traction during incidents of violence against Black Americans. It first emerged in July 2013, following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Its usage skyrocketed to over 1.2 million tweets per day in response to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020.

In honor of the 10th anniversary of the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag, here are some key facts about the movement:

  1. Over half of US adults (51%) support Black Lives Matter, with 22% strongly supporting and 29% somewhat supporting it. Support varies across races, political parties, and age groups.

  2. Support has decreased since June 2020, with 56% supporting in March 2022 and 51% in April 2023. The decline is mainly due to reduced support among White adults.

  3. Most teenagers (70%) in the US support Black Lives Matter, with Black and Democratic teenagers showing higher support compared to their counterparts.

  4. Only 7% of US adults have attended a Black Lives Matter protest, with Black adults and young adults being more likely to participate. Democrats are four times as likely as Republicans to have attended.

  5. Many Black adults believe Black Lives Matter has been the most helpful entity for Black people in recent years compared to other organizations like the NAACP or Black churches.

  6. Public opinion is divided on the effectiveness of Black Lives Matter in bringing attention to racism. About one-third of adults (32%) believe it has been extremely or very effective, while others have different perspectives.

  7. While 77% of social media users have seen Black Lives Matter-related content, fewer have actively posted about it. Black users and younger generations are more likely to show support on social media platforms.

  8. The majority of tweets using the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag are supportive (72%), with positive words like together, justice, and change. Negative tweets often use words like riot, assault, and violent.

Click here to read the full report: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/07/12/8-facts-about-black-lives-matter/

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