Trayvon Martin - the role of racial bias in the shooting 2012

This statistic shows the results of a Gallup survey among approximately 3,000 Americans on the factor racial bias played in the shooting of the teenager Trayvon Martin. The 17-year-old black teenager was shot in Florida by George Zimmerman who claimed he felt threatened by Martin and referred to the so-called "Stand Your Ground law" which allows a Florida citizen to use a weapon in public if they feel threatened and need to defend themselves. So far, George Zimmerman has not been arrested. Since Trayvon Martin was unarmed, this has sparked a controversy among the American public. Many believe that Zimmerman is guilty of a crime and that he should be arrested.

In this survey, 72 percent of black respondents state that they believe racial bias was a major factor in the shooting of Trayvon Martin.

What do you think - how much of a factor did racial bias play in the shooting of Trayvon Martin?

Characteristic	Blacks	Nonblacks	National adults
Major factor	72%	31%	35%
Minor factor	13%	26%	25%
Not a factor	8%	25%	23%
No opinion	7%	18%	17%

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Release date

April 2012

More information

Region

United States

Survey time period

April 2-4, 2012

Number of respondents

3,006 respondents

Age group

18 years and older

Method of interview

Telephone interview

Supplementary notes

The original question at the source was posed as follows: "How much of a factor did racial bias play in the events that led up to the shooting and the shooting itself?"

17-year-old black Trayvon Martin was shot in Florida by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who claimed he felt threatened by Martin and referred to the so-called "Stand Your Ground law" which allows a Florida citizen to use a weapon in public if they feel threatened and need to defend themselves. So far, George Zimmerman has not been arrested. Since Trayvon Martin was unarmed, this has sparked a controversy among the American public. Many believe that Zimmerman is guilty of a crime and that he should be arrested.

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