4 in 10 express negative view of Occupy

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BOSTON, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- American opinion may be starting to turn against the Occupy protests, with 40 percent of people polled saying they view them unfavorably.

The nationwide poll, conducted by the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and the Boston Herald, showed more than a third, 35 percent, still hold a positive view of the protests while about 25 percent had no opinion or were unsure, the Herald reported.

The poll found only 13 percent said they had a "strongly favorable" view of the Occupy movement while 21 percent said they had "strongly unfavorable" view.

The Herald said the poll is the first to reveal sentiment turning against the movement, which began in September in New York with Occupy Wall Street. The protests against inequities in the distribution of wealth and other social issues have spread to hundreds of cities, some of which have begun cracking down on illegal activities among protesters.

The poll also found Americans had a more negative view of the Tea Party movement than the Occupy protests.

Half of those polled said they had an unfavorable impression of the Tea Party, compared with 29 percent who said they had a favorable view, the poll found. Just under a third, 31 percent, had a "strongly unfavorable" view of the Tea Party movement.

The poll found that 85 percent of those who support the Occupy movement said they had an unfavorable view of Wall Street and large corporations, and 64 percent of Tea Party backers said they shared that view.

The poll of 1,005 American adults was conducted Oct. 28-Nov. 1 and has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.