SALEM, Ore. — Nearly four in 10 Oregonians strongly or somewhat agree with statements that reflect core arguments of white nationalist and other far-right groups, according to a new statewide survey.
DHM Research and the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center, both independent nonpartisan organizations, surveyed 603 Oregon residents in a 15-minute online questionnaire Jan. 8-13. They estimate the margin of error is between 2.4% and 4.0%. To recruit respondents, DHM used a professionally maintained panel. They also set demographic quotas and weighted data by area of the state, gender, age, and education to ensure a representative sample of Oregonians.
Survey results indicated that, when compared to a DHM Research panel in 2018, fewer Oregonians believed in protecting and preserving the country’s multicultural heritage.
More agreed that America “must protect and preserve its white European heritage.”
Specifically, when posed similar questions in 2018, 92% of those surveyed agreed with protecting and preserving America’s multicultural heritage. In 2021, that agreement had lowered to 86% of respondents. In 2018, 31% believed that America had to protect or preserve its White European heritage, compared with 40% in 2021.
It’s a “disturbing” revelation, said Lindsay Schubiner, a program director at Western States Center, the progressive nonprofit organization that commissioned the research.
She said the four in 10 represent a growing population in the state that is vulnerable to messages commonly used by white nationalists like the ones posed in the survey including, “America must protect and preserve its white European heritage” and “White people in America face discrimination and unfair treatment on the basis of their race.”
“These numbers show that they’re certainly not the majority, but I think this data does give insight into the size of the population that white nationalists may be able to appeal to or potentially recruit from,” Schubiner said.
Growing support raises concerns
Open support for white nationalism and paramilitary groups remains low according to the survey, but about one in 10 Oregonians do support the causes. That support has risen from 6% in July 2020 to 11% in January.
Growing support for white nationalism is a continuation of Oregon’s history with racist movements and attitudes, Western States Center executive director Eric Ward said. The region is disproportionately white compared to the rest of the United States as a result of “exclusion by design,” he said.
Ward described how Oregon became a fertile recruiting ground for groups like the Ku Klux Klan in the 20th century, adopting ideals that would eventually make the state and the region a target for settlement under the Northwest Territorial Imperative — an idea adopted by white nationalists in the 70s and 80s that encouraged members of Neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups to relocate to the Northwest.
Now, Ward said, growing sympathy for white nationalist ideals has granted an opportunity for the movement to gain political power.
“Local headlines have shown brazen activity by anti-Democratic hate groups working to build their political power," Ward said. "The willingness of a state elected official, (former Rep. Mike) Nearman, to open the doors to those who were seeking violence, the tags on the Oregon holocaust memorial, and the distribution of antisemitic fliers are some examples of that."
Ward was referencing fliers targeting Rep. Rachel Prusak, D-West Linn, that were spread around Clackamas County in late April. The fliers used anti-Semitic stereotypes, Holocaust imagery and other hate symbols to attack Prusak and her efforts to pass gun safety legislation.
"We know Oregon's history is steeped in white supremacy and other forms of bigotry and these acts show this history is still relevant and alive in the present," Prusak said in a news release about the attacks.
In Salem, far-right groups have targeted local businesses.
In December, messages from the white nationalist hate group Patriot Front, which formed in the aftermath of the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, were placed in front of and around Epilogue Kitchen & Cocktails on High Street SE. Epilogue is owned by Jonathan Jones, a Black resident and business owner who has been involved in local Black Lives Matter efforts.
Some hope seen in survey results
Despite revealing growing sympathy for white nationalist arguments, Schubiner thinks the survey should also be a source of hope.
About 86% of those surveyed indicated they agreed America has to protect its multicultural heritage. And 70% thought people of color in the country faced racism.
A majority of Oregonians surveyed also indicated paramilitary and militia groups associated with the far-right were dangerous and disruptive.
About 69% indicated laws should be created to limit protestors from being heavily armed.
Several protests in Salem over the past year have involved individuals carrying firearms. In March, armed individuals clashed with demonstrators at a gathering near the Oregon State Capitol. Four people were arrested and multiple people were detained.
Along with weakening support for multiculturalism, the survey revealed increased alienation and dissatisfaction with democracy in the United States. That dissatisfaction was especially visible in younger Oregonians.
About 44% of Oregonians age 18 to 29 surveyed indicated they were satisfied with democracy in the country. Satisfaction was at 62% with people 65 and older.
The Western States Center hopes the survey will show how "there’s widespread recognition of the harm of political violence and tactics significantly relied upon by white nationalists and far-right and paramilitary groups to civic participation, businesses, democracy and the economy.”
“So from one perspective, this may give elected officials a fair amount of leeway in public opinion, at least, to take action against the danger that armed paramilitary groups pose," said Schubiner.
Some of that action was seen Thursday when the Oregon House of Representatives ousted Nearman from office for his role in allowing rioters opposing COVID-19 closures to enter the closed Capitol building during a special legislative session on Dec. 21, 2020. The vote was bipartisan and unanimous — aside from Nearman's no vote.
A new video that surfaced last week showed Nearman suggesting to a crowd days before the riot that if demonstrators texted him he might let them into the Capitol. Ultimately, at least 50 individuals accessed the Capitol's vestibule, and six law enforcement officers were pepper-sprayed.
The survey research will also be used in Western States Center's work and was released earlier to the organization's partners to guide organizing strategies.
Story from the Salem Statesman Journal via the Associated Press