Alaskans oppose reverting the name of Denali to Mount McKinley by more than a two-to-one margin, according to a survey of residents conducted several days before President Donald Trump announced he would make the change during his second inauguration speech Monday.
The survey of 1,816 adult residents in Alaska found 54% opposed changing the name of the highest mountain in the U.S., 26% supported it and 20% had no opinion, said Ivan Moore, owner of Alaska Survey Research. The question was part of a broader poll about general issues conducted between Jan. 11 and 13, and has a margin of error of 2.3%.
“One of the things that was surprising about these numbers was that 20% of Alaskans had no opinion at all, which struck me as odd,” he said Tuesday. “You’d have thought most Alaskans, one way or another, would have an opinion.”
There was a sharp difference in support for the name change based on who respondents favored as president. Trump voters favored the name change with 43% supporting, 37% opposing and 23% with no opinion. Voters supporting former Vice President Kamala Harris opposed the change with 7% supporting, 86% opposing and 7% with no opinion.
The mountain referred to as Denali by Alaska Natives for centuries was officially named Mount McKinley from 1917 until 2015, then changed to Denali in 2015 during President Barack Obama’s second term. The executive order signed Monday by Trump directs the U.S. Interior Department secretary to officially revive the Mount McKinley name within 30 days.
“We will restore the name of a great president, William McKinley to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs,” Trump said during his inaugural address. “President McKinley made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent. He was a natural businessman, and gave Teddy Roosevelt the money for many of the great things he did, including the Panama Canal, which has foolishly been given to the country of Panama.”
Both of Alaska’s Republican U.S. senators have said they oppose the change. Newly elected Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III, a strong Trump supporter, ducked the question by telling Politico on Monday “what people in the lower 48 call Denali is not of my concern.” Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who was at Trump’s inauguration and expressed strong support for his agenda, has not responded to inquiries about the renaming.
Moore said he included the question in the survey because it was an “issue du jour” after Trump vowed in a December speech he would change the name of the mountain. A question about the U.S. purchasing Greenland was also included, with similar results of about two-to-one opposed.
Responses by race to question about renaming Denali were relatively consistent by race, which Moore said was a surprise since “It wasn’t like Alaskan Natives were in uproar.” Also relatively even were responses by gender, with men opposing the change 29%-53%-19% and women 24%-55%-21%.
The difference by education level was more pronounced with respondents with a high school/GED or less opposed 36-38-25, those with some college 28%-51%-21% and college graduates 14%-73%-13%.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
