Race

Out Of The Past

Scott Bittle — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:56:32 -0500

To get a sense of how public attitudes about race have changed, you need only look back at the America Barack Obama was born in, and compare it to the one that has elected him as the first African American president.

Race is one of the most painful themes in U.S. history, and public opinion is full of contradictions and complexities. If you look back at survey results from the late 1950s and early 1960s, as Public Agenda did for the fiftieth anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling, you can see how unimaginable a black president must have been:

In 1958, an overwhelming 94 percent told Gallup they opposed interracial marriages, such as the one between Obama's parents. (Today, eight in 10 say they approve).

In 1959, a little more than half, 53 percent, said the Brown decision "caused more trouble than it was worth."

In May 1961, most people (57 percent) told the Gallup poll that sit-ins at lunch counters and the activities of the "Freedom Riders" would actually hurt African Americans' chances for integration.

In 1964, Harris found 57 percent who disapproved of the "Freedom Summer" effort by civil rights workers to organize black voters in Mississippi.

It would be wrong to be too negative about public attitudes in this period. By the early 1960s, majorities of Americans supported the 1964 Civil Rights Act and opposed segregation laws. Most were repelled by heavy handed police tactics against protest marchers and backed presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy when they used troops and federal marshals to enforce civil rights laws. But there's no question the gap between the world of the early 1960s and the world we live in now is enormous.

There are serious issues surrounding race in the United States – the gaps in income, educational achievement, and other statistics persist. There are also wide differences in perceptions on race relations between whites and minorities. The problems around race are not resolved, and there's still a lot for the nation to work on.

But one question can be laid to rest. Surveys have shown for some time that majorities of Americans said they were ready to vote for an African American for president. But doubts persisted, with many wondering if people were lying to the pollsters, and questioning whether the public would really follow through in the voting booth.

On Tuesday night, they did. And that can only be called progress.

One For The History Books As Obama Accepts Nomination

Scott Bittle — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:08:25 -0400

Addressing a packed stadium in Denver, Barack Obama made history as he accepted the Democratic party's nomination for president. The senator from the Illinois is the first African American to be on a major party's presidential ticket. It's a milestone in attitudes on race, and our special feature, Snapshots in Time: The Public in the Civil Rights Era, puts that change in perspective. Snapshots in Time looks back at what people thought about the civil rights movement as it was unfolding. Visit our issue guide on race for a look at current attitudes.

Census Projects an Older, More Diverse America

Scott Bittle — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:59:03 -0400

The Census Bureau sums up one of the nation's biggest trends very neatly today: "An Older and More Diverse Nation by Midcentury." Minorities are projected to become the majority of Americans in 2042. It's hard to think of a public issue that won't be affected by this change. But one of the nation's most persistent problems is the education achievement gap between white and minority students. Our surveys find that minority parents and students put a high value on education – but they're much more dissatisfied with their schools . Our survey of first-year teachers also suggests the educational system may also have to do more to prepare the nation's teachers for a more diverse student body.

Census: U.S. Will Be Older, More Diverse

Scott Bittle — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:35:35 -0400

The Census Bureau sums up one of the nation's most significant trends very neatly today: "An Older and More Diverse Nation by Midcentury ." There will be a lot of more of us, too, with the U.S. population projected to hit 400 million by 2039.

Minorities, who are now about a third of the total population, will become the majority of Americans in 2042. And by 2030 one in five Americans will be age 65 or older.

It's hard to think of a public issue that won't be affected by this change. But here are two to start with:

If you've paid any attention at all to the debate over the nation's long-term fiscal health, then you already know that the aging of the baby boomers is a major reason why Medicare, Social Security and our skyrocketing national debt are major concerns. But that's only one of the issues we're facing.

This census report really goes to the heart of one of the nation's most persistent problems: the education achievement gap between white and minority students. The achievement gap's unacceptable now, and it'll be even more devastating when minorities make up most of the workforce. Public Agenda's surveys find that minority parents and students put a high value on education – but they're much more dissatisfied with their schools . Three in 10 black youngsters report very serious levels of disruption and unrest in their schools – not just "somewhat serious," but "very serious." Black students are twice as likely as white students to say that schools not getting enough money is a very serious problem in their community.

The educational system may also have to do more to prepare the nation's teachers for a more diverse student body. In our Lessons Learned survey of first-year teachers, we found three-quarters said their training had covered teaching a diverse group of students – but only four in 10 said that it helped them "a lot ."

Younger Minorities Becoming the Majority?

Jenny Choi — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:41:12 -0400

We’ve certainly seen a growing number of stories in recent years about a rise in the minority population of the U.S., but each new statistic seems to drive the point home further: America is becoming more diverse than ever. According to newly released Census figures, blacks, Hispanics and Asians comprise more than half of under-20 populations in one-quarter of all counties across the country. Minorities now account for about a third of the total U.S. population.

Recent figures from the Pew Research Center indicate half of the public celebrates this diversity, with 51 percent saying the growing variety of racial and ethnic groups is good for the country. But a not insignificant 22 percent say it’s either “bad” or “very bad” for the country. Immigration certainly plays a significant role in the sharp rise in minority representation, and public opinion research has shown that most Americans are generally divided on this issue. Whereas four in 10 say immigrants improve food, music and the arts, pluralities say they negatively impact jobs, taxes and the economy. Similarly, the public is split over whether the U.S. should encourage minorities to blend into American culture or maintain their own culture.

Pew has done extensive research on the impact of immigration on population trends; read more about it here.

Words Matter: The Public and Affirmative Action

Francie Grace — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:40:00 -0400

An attempt to put a question on the Arizona ballot to ban affirmative action became an issue in the presidential campaign this weekend. As far as the public is concerned, pollsters have found that support for affirmative action programs usually varies according to the way survey questions are worded. Terms like "merit," "extra help," "assistance" and "preference" all can have an impact on results – often a sign that the public has conflicted feelings on an issue, or that people are thinking about it in different terms from those used by researchers and advocates. A Pew Social Trends Poll in November found 60 percent who said they favored affirmative action when the programs were described as "designed to help blacks get better jobs and education." When survey participants were instead asked about programs giving "special preferences to qualified blacks in hiring and education," support dropped to 46 percent, with 40 percent saying they were opposed.

Support also varies according to race and gender. When affirmative action was mentioned but the word "preference" was not, affirmative action had the backing of 89 percent of blacks surveyed by Pew; 77 percent of the Hispanics; 52 percent of whites, and 66 percent of all women. The numbers were lower, when the word "preference" was used, with support found among 78 percent of blacks, 61 percent of Hispanics, 39 percent among all whites, and 49 percent among all women.

Optimism about race relations in the U.S. has risen steadily since 2003, when a Gallup poll found 63 percent of participants who said race relations will always be a problem and 36 percent said a solution will eventually be worked out. In 2007, 54 percent told Gallup they thought a solution would come eventually, while 43 percent disagreed.

For more on affirmative action and related public policy questions, check out our issue guide on Race.

Canada Apologizes for Past Mistreatment of Indigenous Tribes

Jenny Choi — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:30:26 -0400

The Washington Post reports that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued an official apology on the floor of the House of Commons to the indigenous people of Canada. Harper solemnly condemned many years of abuse and the government's effort to "wipe out our aboriginal culture and assimilate native Canadians into European-dominated society." The apology comes on the heels of a record class action settlement in 2006, in which the Canadian government awarded payments to former students of Indian residential schools who were physically and sexually abused.

A resolution that would solicit a similar apology from President Bush, on behalf of Native Americans in this country, was approved by the Senate in February and is awaiting consideration in the House.

Public Agenda's report, Walking A Mile: A First Step Toward Mutual Understanding, examines a multitude of perception gaps between American Indians and non-Indians regarding Indian heritage and their current status in society. Focus groups of Indians throughout the country revealed conflicted emotions. Some described the way their ancestors were mistreated as analogous to the Holocaust. Others were more forgiving, one Oklahoma woman, for example, saying: "The people that did it are dead." Most believed non-Indians had only the most superficial knowledge of the atrocities and oppression that occurred.

In parallel focus groups, non-Indians did, in fact, recognize the tragedies of prejudice and displacement. But overall, they had little sense of Indian history after the close of the 19th century, when the government led its assimilation campaign of removing Indian youth from their tribes and forcing them into boarding schools.

Report Debunks Stereotype of Asian Americans as 'Model Minority'

Jenny Choi — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:00:54 -0400

A new report on Asian Americans and higher education dispenses with the common stereotype that they are a single, homogeneous "model minority" and points out the dangers of educational policies based on such false premises. In fact, the umbrella terms Asian American and Pacific Islander, used by the U.S. Census, cover a very diverse population – some 48 different ethnic groups.

The study, based on census and federal education data, immigration statistics and College Board scores, comes from the National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education (CARE), which is a collaboration between New York University, the College Board and Asian American community leaders and educators. Like other demographic groups in America, SAT scores of Asian Americans correlate with the income level and education of their parents, with immigration histories another major factor. Despite the common myth that Asian Americans excel in the areas of science, math and technology, the most common degrees awarded were for business and management. The report also points out that higher education statistics often combine international students from Asian countries with Asian Americans.

Our own study, Life After High School, examines the aspirations and decisions of young adults aged 18 to 25. We found that young Americans across all races greatly recognize the value of a college education. Seven in ten Asian Americans said that in their circle of friends, graduating from college is "something routine and expected," compared to just 41 percent of Hispanics and 46 percent of blacks. Eighty-six percent of Asian Amerians said their parents "strongly expected them to go to college," well above the percentage of whites and other minorities who said so. Looking ahead to the future, most in minority groups, including Asian Americans (75 percent), said they will be financially better off than their parents. Just 57 percent of whites thought so.

Income, by race and ethnicity

jwilliams — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:33:22 -0400

Affirmative Action? Preferences? Special Efforts?

Jenny Choi — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:13:04 -0400

Survey responses on affirmative action and diversity vary dramatically depending on how questions are worded. This could indicate that many Americans have ambivalent views or make distinctions that are not completely understood by analysts. Strong majorities of all races say that hiring, promotions, and college admissions should be "strictly on merit." Yet surveys also show that minorities, especially blacks, are much more likely than whites to favor "extra efforts" to recruit minorities. More than half of Americans say employers should be required by law to maintain diversity in the workplace, but strongly disagree with giving jobs to minorities over equally qualified whites. There is overall support for programs that provide "assistance" for minorities getting a job, getting promoted or getting into college. But support among whites drops dramatically when the question refers to minorities getting "preference." While more than half of the general public would like to see affirmative action programs continue, there is relatively little support for increasing such programs. Americans are divided on whether affirmative action programs are necessary to have racially diverse workplaces and few say minority representation on college campuses would decline without affirmative action.

Racial Profiling and the War on Terror

Jenny Choi — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:11:19 -0400

The public's shock and grief in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks produced profoundly conflicted survey results on racial profiling - the officially improper but widely practiced technique of identifying potential suspects by their race. The public's conflicted feelings on this issue have not subsided and the best evidence of this is that the public rejects profiling in some cases but not in others. In January 2002, just a few months after the Sept. 11 attacks, we found relatively few Americans rejected the racial profiling of Middle Easterners as potential terrorists. More than two-thirds said profiling of Middle Easterners was "understandable, but you wish it didn't happen." Yet in the same survey half said there's "no excuse" for the racial profiling of African Americans. Even a majority of blacks accept this view of profiling as a regrettable but not intolerable part of the war on terrorism. Blacks were far more likely than whites to say there's "no excuse" for profiling Middle Easterners, yet nearly six in 10 blacks said such profiling is "understandable." Surveys immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks found majorities of Americans were willing to take harsh measures to fight terrorism even if it meant giving up some civil liberties. Overall, recent surveys show this attitude has faded - though not always when it comes to measures targeting Middle Easterners. For instance, there has been very little change in the number that says they favor special security checks for Arabs (58 percent in 2001 compared to 53 in 2005). This topic is covered in more detail in our special edition on Terrorism.)

What are the costs and likely consequences of each course of action?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:25:51 -0400

What are the costs and likely consequences of each course of action?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:24:40 -0400

What are the costs and likely consequences of each course of action?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:23:26 -0400

What does fairness require in the nation's efforts to achieve racial equality?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:19:26 -0400

What does fairness require in the nation's efforts to achieve racial equality?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:18:20 -0400

What does fairness require in the nation's efforts to achieve racial equality?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:16:45 -0400

What would be the impact of cutting back or eliminating racial preferences in college admissions decisions?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:14:48 -0400

What would be the impact of cutting back or eliminating racial preferences in college admissions decisions?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:13:03 -0400

What would be the impact of cutting back or eliminating racial preferences in college admissions decisions?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:11:21 -0400