June has been a huge month for protests and civil engagement, with most of these movements centering on the Trump Administration’s use of Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out raids and deportations across the country. While this has been happening across the US, Los Angeles has become a major focus point as ICE has conducted several raids in the city, prompting mass protests and President Trump activating the National Guard in response.

As these protests continue to happen across the country (including the No Kings protests running concurrently with Trump’s Army parade in DC), perceptions of social protest are certainly impacted by distance; in this week’s COTW, we look at how much distance can affect Americans’ views of what’s happening in LA (even when similar, albeit smaller, forms of protest are likely happening in their own backyards).

Here are the key takeaways from this week’s chart:

• ⚖️The average American is split: Nationally, the average American is split down the middle, although they lean towards siding with the police and military. Still, about 2 in 5 (38%) sides mostly with protesters.
• ☀️Western states are most supportive: Breaking down the US into four regions (West, Midwest, Northeast, and the South) shows that the western part of the country is more supportive, even when compared to California on its own. While they’re still split, nearly half of voters in these states (44%) completely side with protesters.
• 🚓Support for protesters decreases with distance: As highlighted by the overall averages in our COTW, support for LA’s protestors decreases the farther away you get from the West Coast. Voters on the East Coast, whether they’re in the Northeast (49%) or the South (45%), are more likely to side with policy and the military.