Oklahomans of All Ethnicities Reject The Tenets of Critical Race Theory
Oklahomans overwhelmingly reject the fundamental ideology behind Critical Race Theory, commonly known as CRT. According to CriticalRace.org, CRT is an outgrowth of Marxism which declares every American institution to be inherently racist. Unlike the Civil Rights movement, which sought to work within the structures of American democracy, critical race theorists seek to dismantle the foundations of the liberal order, such as rationalism, constitutional law, and legal reasoning.
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We asked Oklahoma voters their opinions about two fundamental tenets of Critical Race Theory being taught in the classroom.
SoonerPoll surveyed 299 likely voters -- Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, and Independents -- across the state. The survey is stratified to represent Oklahoma's likely voter population.
[QUESTION1] Here are several statements about current Oklahoman issues. For each one, lease tell me whether you support or oppose the statement:
"Teachers teaching students that an individual is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive by virtue of their race or sex, either consciously or unconsciously."
1. Strongly Support: 2.3%
2. Somewhat Support: 5.1
3. Don’t Know/Undecided: 15.9
4. Somewhat Oppose: 7.6
5. Strongly Oppose: 69.1
The combined opposition to CRT of 76.7% spans the racial spectrum. Fifty-five percent of Black voters and 76.5% of White voters disapprove of teaching this idea to school kids. Nearly fifty-eight percent of Hispanic voters and 89.5% of Native Americans feel the same way. The most stark difference of opinion is between Republicans and Democrats. Nearly ninety-three percent of Republicans oppose teaching children that individuals are inherently racist compared to 53.7% of Democrats.
[QUESTION2] Here are several statements about current Oklahoman issues. For each one, please tell me whether you support or oppose the statement:
"Teachers teaching students that they should personally feel discomfort or guilt on account of their race or sex."
1. Strongly Support: 1.4%
2. Somewhat Support: 2.7
3. Don’t Know/Undecided: 10.9
4. Somewhat Oppose: 8.1
5. Strongly Oppose: 76.8
Much like the previous question, opinions were relatively uniform among different racial groups while the greatest range of disagreement is between Republicans and Democrats. Over ninety-five percent of Republican voters say they strongly oppose this statement versus 53.2% of Democrats voicing strong opposition.
Native American voters oppose teaching guilt on account of race or sex at a rate of 92.6%. Hispanic voters have a combined opposition of 86.0%, Black voters oppose at 71.5%, and White voters oppose the statement at a rate of 85.0%
Oklahoma banned the teaching of CRT in K-12 public schools after Governor Stitt signed Senate Bill 1775 into law in 2021.
About the Poll
SoonerPoll.com, Oklahoma’s public opinion pollster, asked these questions of Oklahoma likely voters as part of the SoonerPoll Quarterly Poll.
The scientific study was conducted from July 21-August13, 2021 with 300 likely Oklahoma voters selected at random statewide from a tri-frame of both landline telephone and cell phones, plus SoonerPoll's proprietary online panel. The sample was weighted by age, gender, and congressional district in order to reflect the Oklahoma likely voter population for a general election. The weighting was conducted using a 'layered technique.'
The sample reflects the traditional demographical profile of the Oklahoma likely voter with roughly half of respondents identifying as conservative and attending religious services once or more per week. The study has a Margin of Error (MoE) of ±5.67 percent.
A complete description of the methodology can be found here.
