Why there are some disagreements about race in the US: The good news is that the differences are narrowing.
USA TODAY
By Susan Page and William Risser, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON ?- Blacks and whites continue to have profoundly different perspectives on the prevalence of racism in America, a Gallup Poll finds, but it also shows a modest narrowing in some of those gaps and a jump in optimism about the future.
The survey paints a mixed picture of race relations. The racial divide over whether African Americans are treated fairly hasn't abated, and blacks and whites are deeply divided on how much of a role bias plays in problems faced by the African American community.
On the other hand, a record 58% of Americans say race relations "eventually will be worked out," while 38% say they will "always be a problem." For the first time since Gallup began regularly asking that question in 1993, slightly more African Americans took the optimistic view over the pessimistic one.
"I don't believe we've totally overcome everything that's necessary for equality, but I do believe things are getting better," says Ricardo Russell, 30, a retail sales manager from Oak Park, Mich., who participated in the poll. He is black.
"They're better than they used to be, that's for sure," Susann Matarese, 52, a medical receptionist from Port Charlotte, Fla., who is white, says of race relations. "It's the younger people who are doing this," though she's not entirely comfortable with the interracial dating she increasingly sees.
The poll ?- the latest in an annual series on race relations by Gallup ?- included 702 non-Hispanic whites, 608 non-Hispanic blacks and 502 Hispanics. Some of the questions in the survey June 5-July 6 were asked in partnership with USA TODAY.
The prospect that Barack Obama at next month's Democratic convention will become the first African American nominated for president by a major party has spotlighted the issue of race in America. In follow-up interviews with some of those surveyed, both blacks and whites predict his candidacy and potential election would affect racial views, for better or worse.
Among the findings:
Blacks and whites continue to see different worlds when it comes to race. Two-thirds of non-Hispanic whites say they are satisfied with the way blacks are treated in the USA; two-thirds of blacks say they are dissatisfied.
Most blacks identify racial discrimination as a major factor in a list of problems the African American community faces, including shorter life expectancies than whites and a higher likelihood of going to prison. Most whites call racism a minor factor or not a factor in those situations.
Blacks' views have improved a bit when it comes to equality in employment and housing, though a wide gap with whites' views remains. Now, 52% of African Americans say blacks have as good a chance as whites to get any housing they can afford, a jump of 8 percentage points from last year. And 43% of African Americans say blacks have as good a chance to get any kind of job they're qualified for, up 5 points from last year and 10 points from 2005.
The gap between blacks and whites in assessing race relations seems to be narrowing. Last year, 75% of whites and 55% of blacks said black-white relations were good, a 20-point gap. This year, that difference of opinion drops to 9 points.
"There was a time when people couldn't live in certain places, but now it seems as long as you have the money you can live anywhere," says Angela Ross, 44, a stay-at-home mom from Houston who is black. Even so, she still sees "a lot" of racial stereotyping and adds, "There are a lot more disadvantaged black people than there are white."
Ed Menes, 69, a college professor from Chicago who is white, says race relations have improved but are still "sort of iffy." He and several other white respondents noted the controversy over Jeremiah Wright's inflammatory words about racism in America, which prompted Obama to leave his church.
"I thought everything was great until I heard Rev. Jeremiah Wright," says Kim Comeaux, 52, of Plaquemine, La., who is white. She says race relations are "pretty bad" and "getting worse."
Most Americans say race relations are getting better. Eight in 10 whites and seven in 10 blacks say civil rights for blacks have improved in the past decade. Nearly as many say civil rights will improve over the next decade.
Will the nation eventually reach a point where race doesn't matter?
"In my lifetime, I don't see that," says Paul Criswell, 39, of Suffolk, Va., who is white. Perhaps "in my son's lifetime." He's 2 years old.
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