Exploring Support for the Black Lives Matter Movement: Racial Injustice, Attitudes Toward Police, Politics, and Media

Abstract This research aimed to explore the correlates influencing support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement through a nationally representative survey in the U.S. Drawing on a review of extant literature, this study primarily investigated the relationship between respondents` support for BLM and their perceptions of racial injustice, attitudes toward law enforcement, media exposure, political affiliations, race, and socio-economic status, while controlling for individual characteristics. Findings from structural equation modeling analyses indicated that individuals who expressed concerns about racial injustice, advocated for defunding the police, aligned with liberal political views, and identified as young, female, and lower income were more likely to support BLM. Support for defunding the police also mediated the relationship between racial injustice and support for BLM. However, racial identities and news consumption (online/social and TV news) were not found to be significant factors in supporting BLM. The findings of the study were discussed, and their policy implications were considered.