A 60% majority of Americans say the government should not control the content of exhibits in federally funded museums, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll.
Published Tuesday, the survey found that only 18% of respondents say the federal government should control the content of exhibits at museums that receive taxpayer funds. Another 22% say they're unsure.
Among Democrats, 82% are against government control of museum content, while 9% are in favor of it, and 9% are unsure. Republican voters were more evenly split on the subject, with 38% saying they are against government control of museum content and 31% saying they are in favor of it. Thirty-one percent of GOP voters indicated being unsure.
The poll found that people who visit museums "very or somewhat often" are far more likely, at 70%, than those who "never" visit them, at 49%, to say the government should not control exhibits in museums it funds.
Last week, President Donald Trump announced a sweeping review of "woke" ideology at federally funded museums, beginning with the Smithsonian museums.
"The museums throughout Washington, but all over the country are, essentially, the last remaining segment of 'woke,'" Trump wrote Tuesday night on Truth Social. "The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our country is, how bad slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — nothing about success, nothing about brightness, nothing about the future."
"We are not going to allow this to happen, and I have instructed my attorneys to go through the museums, and start the exact same process that has been done with colleges and universities where tremendous progress has been made," he added. "This country cannot be woke, because woke is broke."
"We have the 'hottest' country in the world, and we want people to talk about it, including in our museums," Trump said.
The Smithsonian is a taxpayer-funded trust that operates 21 museums, 14 research centers, and the National Zoo independently of the federal government.
According to the survey, 84% say it is very important for cultural and history museums to accurately represent American history. Sixty-one percent majorities say the same about highlighting historical struggles and injustices and highlighting American achievements, respectively. Another 60% majority say that addressing sensitive topics like slavery, racism and inequality is also very important.
A smaller 46% share say it is very important for museums that receive government funding to emphasize a positive vision for America's future.
The poll was conducted Aug. 22-25 and surveyed 1,523 U.S. adults. The margin of error was ±3.6 percentage points.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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