The Pew Research Center has released compelling data proving that the public strongly supports ending the doctrine of qualified immunity (qi.)
According to a national survey conducted June 16–22, 2020, among 4,708 adults, the majority support granting citizens the right to sue police officers accused of abusing their power. In other words, most of the American public supports ending qi.
The survey also finds that the public’s evaluation of police performance has declined since the Center last explored this topic in 2016.
“Two-thirds of Americans (66%) say that civilians need to have the power to sue police officers to hold them accountable for misconduct and excessive use of force,” the data concludes, “even if that makes the officers’ jobs more difficult.”
Read more about the Pew Center’s QI data here.