Redskins' Name Offends More Than Half Of Native Americans: Study

WASHINGTON, DC — A new study found that at least half of more than 1,000 Native Americans surveyed are offended by the Washington Redskins' team name and Native American mascots in general. The findings run counter to other surveys, including one conducted by the Washington Post, that found most Native Americans aren't offended by the Redskins name.

The results suggest, according to the University of California, Berkeley study, that the controversy over the use of the Redskins name as well as native representations, such as chief headdresses, war cries and the tomahawk chop, is far from over.

Prior claims made in response to surveys by the Washington Post in 2016 and the Annenberg Public Policy Center in 2004, according to the study, oversimplify a diverse range of attidudes among the Native population.

The Washington Post survey was said to have influenced the decision of Redskins team owner Daniel Snyder to retain the Redskins' name. In fact, when the 2016 Washington Post survey was released, Snyder said at the time, "We are gratified by this overwhelming support from the Native American community, and the team will proudly carry the Redskins name."

In a 2013 interview with USA Today, Snyder was more emphatic in his stance on keeping the Redskins name. "We'll never change the name," Snyder told the newspaper. "It's that simple. NEVER — you can use caps."

The new UC Berkeley study, according to its authors, is the largest scientific study of the relationship between Native American identity and attitudes toward Native mascots. "Although we cannot directly compare our results to prior polling due to measurement differences and, in some cases, a lack of clarity about their methodological procedures, our data diverge greatly from the conclusion that Native people by and large are not offended by Native mascots," says the new study, "Unpacking the Mascot Debate: Native American Identification Predicts Opposition to Native Mascots."

The study's authors noted the results are particularly timely in the face of Native American protests against caricatures of their culture, including the tomahawk chop — performed by fans of the Kansas City Chiefs, who won Sunday's Super Bowl — and other sports teams with Native American monikers.

"We're attempting to be really transparent with our process and what we find is high levels of opposition compared to those previous polls," study co-lead author Arianne Eason, a UC Berkeley assistant professor of psychology, said in an interview with Patch.

In the survey, at least 50 percent of Native Americans, including people who said they almost never engage in tribal activities, found the team name offensive. That percentage climbed higher among the groups of people who more greatly identify as being Native American, Eason said.

"Our study is a really scientifically rigorous study. It's gone through the peer-review process," she said. "We have a sample that is twice as large than any of the previous studies and gets drastically different results. From there, the question is, which study holds up and which one is being transparent? I think it's ours."

The study's findings are scheduled to be published this month in the journal of "Social Psychological and Personality Science."

The Washington Redskins had not responded to a request for comment on this study when this article was published.

In 2013, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, which represents more than 200 diverse organizations, approved a resolution calling for a change in the Redskins name. In response, the Redskins organization said "we respectfully believe they are mischaracterizing decades of honor and respect toward America's Indian heritage that our name represents for generations of Redskin fans and Native Americans alike."

"We believe it is important to listen to and respect all sides on this issue, and that includes also listening to and learning from Native Americans and countless Redskin fans who, for generations, believe our name represents the strength, character and pride of our Indian heritage," the Redskins said in a statement at the time.

Eason and University of Michigan psychologist Stephanie Fryberg launched the UC Berkeley study last fall in response to what they deemed as "yet another questionable opinion survey" about the Redskins' name. A 2019 web-based survey of 500 self-identified Native Americans that was reported in the Washington Post found that 68 percent of those polled were not offended by the Washington Redskins' name. The newspaper noted that the survey, together with the other studies, were changing the minds of people who had previously urged the team to change its name.

"We keep seeing clear examples of Native people speaking up and protesting these problematic team names and mascots," Eason said. "Yet, public opinion polls, with little methodological transparency, say that Native people are not offended. Things just don’t add up."

The 2016 Washington Post survey found that nine in 10 Native Americans polled claimed not to be bothered by the moniker. It was a telephone survey of 504 self-identified Native Americans.

"The data from previous opinion polls is often used to silence Native people," said Fryberg, a member of the Tulalip Tribes of Washington, in Washington state. "But our study, which captures a broad diversity of Native peoples and experiences, shows high rates of opposition. As researchers and consumers of information, we need to be very careful about whose voices we claim to be representing."

Overall, 49 percent of participants in the UC Berkeley study were found to strongly agree or agree that the Washington Redskins’ name is offensive, while 38 percent were not bothered by it. The remainder were undecided or indifferent.

However, the number of those offended rose for study participants who were heavily engaged in their native or tribal cultures (67 percent), young people (60 percent) and people with tribal affiliations such as members of federally recognized tribes (52 percent).

When Native people, including youth, are exposed to Native mascots, the communities see decreases in self-esteem and drops in what they feel they can accomplish in the future, according to Eason. "These representations of Native people matter. They have real consequences for people," she said. "It's not just, 'I'm offended.' They're highly opposed to these mascots and the mascots have real-life consequences for members of the group."