Too many Racist Sympathizers In This Country

I have some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that 76% of Americans view the white nationalists (supremacists) negatively, 83% view the neo-nazis negatively, and 85% view the ku klux klan negatively. An overwhelming number of Americans dislike these groups and what that represent.

The bad news is that 7% view the white nationalists (supremacists) favorably, 5% view the neo-nazis favorably, and 6% have a favorable view of the ku klux klan. 5% to 7% may not seem like a lot of people -- until you consider the U.S. population is about 324 million, with about 240 million being adults. Take 5% of 240 million and you get about 12 million people.

Most of that 12 million are closet racists -- not the kind who will take to the streets and cause trouble. But they still are sympathetic to the racist views of the groups above, and their attitude helps to keeps racism and hate alive in this country.

The charts are made with info from a new Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between August 13th and 15th of a random national sample of 1,500 adults (including 1,291 registered voters), with a 3.1 point margin of error.