Even the first black president nears the end of his second term, white and black Americans hold sharply divided views on the state of the nation’s race relations and the progress that President Obama has made, according to a new Pew Research Survey released Monday.
The national survey shows profound differences between black and white adults in their opinions on racial discrimination and the opportunity for change. While a majority of black Americans say black people are treated unfairly in the U.S. today, far fewer whites see racial inequality as a pervading issue.
Some 88 percent of blacks say the country needs to continue making changes to equalize rights between blacks and whites, while just 53 percent of whites agree. By large margins,whites are far less likely to say that black employees are treated unfairly in the workplace, applying for a loan or mortgage, dealing with the police, in the courts, in stores and restaurants and when voting in elections.
Blacks and whites have different impressions about the current state of race relations in the nation. About two out of three blacks say that race relations are bad, while whites are split on the issue. According the poll, 46 percent of whites say race relations are good while 45 percent argue the opposite.
Americans are divided on these issues not just by skin color, but also by political affiliation. About six in ten white Republicans say too much attention is paid to race and racial issues, while only 21 percent of white Democrats agree. Four out of five white Democrats say the country needs to continue making changes towards racial equality, while just 36 percent of white Republicans share the sentiment.
White and black adults differ significantly in their assessment of Mr. Obama’s impact in his nearly eight years in the White House — 51 percent of blacks say Mr. Obama has made progress toward improving race relations while just 28 percent of whites agree. And 32 percent of whites say Mr. Obama has actually made race relations worse.
Looking ahead, 43 percent of black respondents said they are skeptical that positive changes will ever occur. The survey showed less pessimism among whites — 11 percent expressed doubt that these changes will come, while 38 percent said necessary changes have already been made.
The new Pew report is based on a national survey conducted between February and May of this year among 3,769 American adults.
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