White workers are more worried about damaged property during protests than about injured protesters

• Strategic advisory firm Brunswick is surveying 1,000 American workers a week about their attitudes and their employers' actions regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic.
• This past week's survey also asked workers about how concerned they are about possible consequences of the ongoing protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
• Concerns vary between Black and white workers.
• White workers are most concerned about the protests' negative impact on businesses and property at 91%, while Black workers are most concerned about injuries, harassment, or arrests of protesters at 88%.

American workers are concerned about different consequences from the protests that have been held across the United States in the wake of the police killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd.

A new survey suggests white workers are more concerned about the negative impact on businesses, while Black workers are more concerned about the lives and health of protesters.

In an exclusive partnership with Business Insider, Brunswick, a strategic advisory firm focused on critical issues, is conducting a survey to a sample of American workers each week about their opinions and their employers' actions regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic and other recent events.

During the most recent weekly survey, respondents were also asked about which consequences from the protests over the death of George Floyd and police violence against Black Americans they are most worried about.

The survey results show that although there are varying levels of concern across issues and races, the majority of both white and Black workers were concerned about all five issues that Brunswick asked respondents about.

The most commonly expressed concern for both the overall US workforce at 88% and white workers at 91% is the protests' negative impact on businesses and residential property. Black workers were less concerned about the protests' impact on businesses and property, with 79% expressing concern in the survey.

Some looting and property destruction has happened around the protests. During protests in New York on June 1, Macy's in Herald Square was one of the stores broken into by looters in Manhattan. A video showed protesters in Brooklyn on May 30 lining up in front of a Target to stop people from looting the store. In Minneapolis, the owner of the Gandhi Mahal restaurant, which was burned down on May 29, said, "We can rebuild a building. But we cannot give this man back to his family," according to BuzzFeed.

Some black-owned businesses are also putting up signs that identify them as black-owned to prevent looting in their stores and to show solidarity with the protesters.

Black workers in the survey were most concerned about the protesters themselves. 88% of Black workers were concerned about whether protesters will be injured, harassed, or arrested compared to 69% of white workers, a 19-percentage point difference. Overall, 74% of the survey's respondents expressed concern about this.

Although many protests have been peaceful, some protests have turned violent. In DC, police used tear gas and rubber bullets to clear protesters as President Donald Trump walked over to St. John's Church for a photo on June 1.

According to health experts and physicians, the use of tear gas could help the coronavirus spread through droplets from coughing. According to the survey results from Brunswick, 80% of the US workforce is concerned with the protests causing a spike in coronavirus cases. The breakdown by race was quite close, with 79% of white workers and 83% of Black workers saying they were worried.

Another concern of workers is that the protests will not be enough to eliminate police brutality. 82% of Black workers and 75% of white workers believe this, a difference of seven percentage points. Overall, 77% of the US workforce are concerned about this issue.

Several protesters, officials, and activist groups have advocated for police departments to be defunded, redirecting that money to social and community programs.

An open-letter by the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of different black-rights groups, calls for people to petition to defund the police. As reported by Insider's Ellen Cranley, the group wants police budgets to go toward other programs like education, healthcare, and programs that "support a vibrant Black future," among others.

Additionally, nine members of the Minneapolis City Council have pledged to dismantle the city police department after previous attempts of police reform have not been successful.

The following graph highlights the differences in what white and Black workers are most concerned about regarding the ongoing protests, along with concerns from the overall US workforce: