Poll: Half say supporting racial equality issues, Black Lives Matter makes someone ‘woke’

Half of voters say supporting issues like racial equality and Black Lives Matter makes someone “woke,” a new Hill-HarrisX poll finds.

Fifty percent of registered voters in the July 8-9 survey said supporting racial equality makes someone woke, while 19 percent said it does not and 30 percent said they are not sure.

Forty-nine percent of respondents said supporting the Black Lives Matter movement makes someone woke, while 18 percent said it doesn’t and 33 percent are unsure.

Other issues that topped the list of what makes someone woke were supporting fighting against economic inequality and LGBTQ rights.

The term “woke” generally refers to someone who is aware of social issues such as racial prejudice and discrimination and has increasingly become a divisive word in political circles.

The survey also found 32 percent of registered voters said they see themselves as woke to the extent that they understand the term.

Twenty-three percent of respondents said they do not identify as woke, while 13 percent said they are unsure.

Thirty-one percent of respondents said they don’t know what the term “woke” means.

The Hill-HarrisX poll was conducted online among 938 registered voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

—Gabriela Schulte