Americans are sharply divided along racial lines as to whether Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson should be charged with murder in the shooting death of Michael Brown , a new CNN/ORC poll out Monday finds . Fifty-four percent of nonwhites -- including blacks , Latinos and Asians -- say Wilson should be charged with murder , while just 23 % of whites agree . And 38 % of whites say Wilson should be charged with no crime at all , while just 15 % of nonwhites hold that position . The poll 's results come as the grand jury prepares to make its decision , with an announcement expected Monday evening . Most Americans agree that Wilson should at least face some form of criminal charges , the poll finds . A combined total of 32 % say a Missouri grand jury should charge Wilson with murder , while 25 % say he should face lesser criminal charges and 21 % say he should be charged with no crime at all . The CNN/ORC International survey of 1,045 Americans was conducted Nov. 21-23 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points . There is broad 63 % agreement that peaceful protests are justified if a grand jury does n't indict Wilson for murder . But a racial divide exists over whether violent protests are justified in that case , with 22 % of nonwhites saying yes while 10 % of whites agree . Voices of Ferguson . The differences underscored the broader perceptions of prejudice among police officers . Only 19 % of whites said some or most police officers in their areas are prejudiced against blacks , while 33 % of nonwhites held that opinion . Half of all whites say that `` almost none '' or `` none '' of the police in their areas are prejudiced against blacks . Only 35 % of nonwhites agreed with that view . Potential fates of Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson .
Whites and non - whites are divided over whether Robert Wilson should face murder charges , a poll finds . Fifty - four percent of non - whites say Wilson should be charged with murder , while 53 % of whites hold that view . The poll is out Monday and is from CNN / ORC international .