Poll Shows 9 In 10 Not Offended By Washington Redskins Team Name
Nine in 10 Native Americans surveyed in a recent Washington Post poll reported that they are not offended by the name of the Washington Redskins NFL team. The results are similar to the findings of a 2004 poll and could set back efforts to force Redskins owner Dan Snyder to change the name of his team.
According to the Washington Post, this new poll was carried out over a five-month period that ended in April and surveyed more than 500 adult Native Americans from across the country. Responses to the poll were fairly consistent across age, income, and education ranges and did not differ in any statistically relevant way based on whether or not the respondent lived on or off of a reservation.
Most of those polled said that they don’t find the word “redskin” offensive in and of itself, with about three in 10 saying that they find the word to be disrespectful to Native Americans. Even fewer respondents, just two out of 10, said that they would be personally offended if someone referred to them as a redskin.
90% of Native Americans say they are not bothered by Redskins’ team name https://t.co/NvEjICaJN1 pic.twitter.com/SX4DOZXhOk
— Post Polls (@PostPolls) May 19, 2016
When asked if the name of the Washington Redskins is offensive, nine in 10 said that they aren’t bothered by the name. One percent reported that they had no opinion on the matter, and 9 percent, fewer than nine in 10, said that they find the team name offensive.
This particular question was worded in a somewhat convoluted way, which allowed respondents to say they are offended, not bothered, or have no opinion.
“The professional football team in Washington calls itself the Washington Redskins. As a Native American, do you find that name offensive, or doesn’t it bother you?”
Despite the somewhat confusing nature of this particular question, the results of the new poll were functionally identical to the results of a poll carried out by the Annenberg Public Policy Center in 2004.
The 2004 Annenberg poll found that 9 percent of Indians were offended by the Washington Redskins name, 90 percent were not bothered by the name, and 1 percent had no opinion.
Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder has cited the 2004 Annenberg survey as evidence that he shouldn’t have to change the name of his team, and the results of this new poll are likely to provide additional ammunition in his battle to avoid changing the name of his team.
“The Washington Redskins team, our fans and community have always believed our name represents honor, respect and pride. Today’s Washington Post polling shows Native Americans agree. We are gratified by this overwhelming support from the Native American community, and the team will proudly carry the Redskins name.”
Although the sample sizes of both polls were fairly small, with 768 Native Americans interviewed for the Annenberg poll and 504 for the new poll, the margin of error is not that large. According to the Washington Post, their poll had a 5.5 percent margin of sampling error.
Despite the similar results from the two polls, which were taken more than 10 years apart, opponents of the use of the Redskins name continue to question the idea that nine in 10 Native Americans aren’t offended by the name.
Suzan Harjo, who was involved in the first case to challenge the Washington Redskins trademark, told the Washington Post that she questions whether or not the people they interviewed were actually Indians.
“I don’t accept self-identification,” Harjo told the Washington Post. “People say they’re native, and they are not native, for all sorts of reasons. Those of us who are leaders in Indian Country… know who we are representing. We also know if we are representing a minority view. And this is not the case here. Our experience is completely the opposite of the Annenberg poll and this one. I just reject the whole thing.”
The idea that nine in 10 Native Americans aren’t offended by the Redskins name was also challenged on social media.
Hey @washingtonpost, saw the survey. You found 373 Natives who don’t find “Redsk*ns” offensive? Here’s 5859 who do: https://t.co/gCwFRFYZ1a
— Dr. Adrienne Keene (@NativeApprops) May 19, 2016
Dr. Keene in particular called out the Washington Post for including non-tribe members in their poll. However, tribe members were actually less likely to feel that the word “redskin” is disrespectful to Native Americans. While 23 percent of those not affiliated with a tribe said they find the word disrespectful, only 20 percent of tribe members said they find the term to be disrespectful.
Do you think that Harjo, Dr. Keene, and others are right, and that Native Americans really do overwhelmingly find the Washington Redskins name offensive? And if they are correct, then how could two polls, taken more than 10 years apart, find that nine in 10 Native Americans aren’t bothered by the name?
[Photo by AP Photo/Alex Brandon]
