Virginia

Most Virginians Support Redskins Keeping Name: Poll

Most Virginians believe the Washington Redskins should not change their name, according to a new poll from the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University.

The poll found 71 percent of residents support keeping the name despite years of dispute over whether the name is offensive.

And respondents' political affiliations had little effect on their answers. Seventy-two percent of Republicans support the name, as do 69 percent of Democrats and 68 percent of Independents.

"I'’s hard to find 71 percent of Virginia voters agreeing on anything," Dr. Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center for Public Policy, said in a statement. "But support for the Redskins' name clearly draws together people of different political stripes who would otherwise be at crossed swords, like it draws together members of the General Assembly from different parties."

More than a third of Virginian voters who follow football consider themselves fans of the Redskins, a higher percentage than any other team. The second most popular team among Virginian voters, the Dallas Cowboys, came in at just nine percent. Twenty-two percent of voters said they don't follow any NFL team.

The Wason Center interviewed 796 voters in the commonwealth between Sept. 9 and Sept. 15. The margin of error was 3.5 percent.

In recent months, lawmakers and Native American groups have urged the team to change the name. Some media outlets have also pledged to not use the name in their reports.

But owner Dan Synder has refused to change the name, insisting that it is an "honor."

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