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Are Americans Angry at Wall Street Bankers? Do They Support the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Protests?


December 17, 2011 marked three months since the beginning of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Acknowledging the impact of social movements across the world (from the Middle East to Wall Street), Time Magazine named “The Protester” as its 2011 Person of the Year.  In this Climate Note, we examine what Americans from different political parties think about the Occupy Wall Street protests and how angry they are at Wall Street.

In a national survey completed in November 2011, a large majority of Democrats (83%) and Independents (74%) supported the Occupy Wall Street protests, with less support among Republicans (42%) and Tea Party members (32%).

Image for How Much Do You Support or Oppose The Occupy Wall Street Protests?
Image for How Much Do You Support or Oppose The Occupy Wall Street Protests?

Large majorities of all groups, however, were somewhat to extremely angry at Wall Street bankers, including Democrats (78%), Independents (81%), Republicans (59%) and Tea Party members (65%).

Image for How Angry Are You at Bankers on Wall Street?
Image for How Angry Are You at Bankers on Wall Street?