June 24, 2014
The Washington Redskins professional football team is under growing pressure from Native American activists and politicians from President Obama on down to change its name. Last week, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in a two-to-one vote canceled the team’s trademark on the grounds that it is “disparaging to Native Americans.” But most Americans nationwide agree with the team's owner Daniel Snyder that a name change is not necessary, and those who follow pro football the most are even more opposed.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 26% of American Adults believe the Washington Redskins should change their name in light of complaints that it is offensive. Sixty percent (60%) don’t think the team should change its name. Fourteen percent (14%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on June 19-20, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.