A new survey shows a majority of Americans, regardless of race, agree that race relations have worsened nationally in the past year — but on questions of equality, opinions were split between white and African-American respondents.
Source: PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll Credit: Camila Domonoske/NPR
According to a PBS Newshour/Marist Poll, a racial divide still persists on how Americans view a variety of issues, including whether blacks and whites have equal opportunities of getting hired for a job, receiving a quality education and earning equal pay for equal work.
The survey also revealed a split in how whites and African-Americans view the Black Lives Matter movement and on the Confederate flag.
"I think what we were looking at was to get a sense of Americans today and their view on race relations, and see areas of similarity, areas of disagreement," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. "And to get a handle on what is obviously something that brings forth a lot of emotion, particularly in the context of recent shootings and issues of police community behavior."
Fifty-eight percent of respondents said race relations in the United States have deteriorated in the past year. When broken down by race, a majority of African-Americans (56 percent) and whites (60 percent) agree with this statement.
A majority of blacks and whites (60 percent and 74 percent respectively) also said local race relations have not changed. But perceptions of whether that lack of change should be viewed as a good or bad thing varied depending on the race of the respondent.
Whites who thought things hadn't changed were likely — at a rate of more than 2 to 1 — to think the status quo was good. African-Americans, by nearly the same ratio, tended to view that non-change negatively.
Some of the survey's widest disparities between black and white respondents were on economic and social justice issues.
For example, equal opportunity for getting hired for a job: While 52 percent of whites said they feel the opportunity to get a job was equal among whites and blacks, more than two-thirds of African-American respondents (76 percent) said it was not equal.
And when it comes to equal justice under the law, white Americans were almost evenly split. Exactly half of whites said African-Americans and Caucasians had the opportunity for equal justice under the law, while 46 percent disagreed. Among African-Americans, only 11 percent said the opportunity for equal justice is shared by blacks and whites, while 87 percent said it was not.
According to the PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll, the Black Lives Matter movement is perceived by more than 8 in 10 African-Americans (82 percent) as a mainly nonviolent movement. Additionally, 65 percent of blacks say the movement focuses attention on real issues of discrimination.
Source: PBS Newshour/Marist poll Credit: Camila Domonoske/NPR
The poll found 43 percent of white respondents agree it is a mainly nonviolent civil rights movement, but 41 percent say it does advocate some level of violence. And nearly two-thirds of white respondents (59 percent) say Black Lives Matter distracts attention from racial discrimination.
There's an unsurprising split in opinion over the Confederate flag; a majority of whites see it as a symbol of Southern pride, while most African-Americans see it as a symbol of racism.
There appears to be some agreement in the survey, particularly on the topic of the opportunity for fair media portrayal among African-Americans and whites. By wide margins, both African-Americans (14 percent yes to 84 percent no) and whites (27 percent yes to 67 percent no) say the media does not provide a fair portrayal of the races equally.
The findings will be discussed during a Monday night PBS broadcast of America After Charleston with Gwen Ifill.
I think that the fairness of opportunity for all races is here. Maybe that is because I live in a place that does not see this type of stuff. I believe everyone has the same opportunity but, some people just have and easier time with the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anthony because living in a place like El Dorado Hills, we aren't exposed to certain conflicts that may arise in other areas. I believe that we live in a free and equal country as a whole, but when it comes to how individuals treat other individuals it all varies. Opportunities in the workplace is equal among all races. Although, I think we all stereotype and judge others which can cause lots of issues among different people. I believe the basis of these issues corresponds directly with how we treat people and effects how they feel about certain opportunities.
DeleteI incompletely agree with Anthony because everyone does have the same opportunity as the next person. I think it depends on who is giving that someone the opportunity because they could be a racist and if your are an African- American, you might not have the advantage against a white male or female.
DeleteCameron Stone -- P6
ReplyDeleteAlthough many Americans do not believe there is equal opportunity among races, the US provides a workplace that is open to anyone. The true equality of the American economy is masked by the different opinions of others such as, "over the Confederate flag; a majority of whites see it as a symbol of Southern pride, while most African-Americans see it as a symbol of racism". Likewise, some Americans believe there is equal opportunity and some do not. I believe there is. The US is the "land of the free", and anyone can control what job they can get through hard work and education.
Bailey Wetzel--P4
DeleteI agree with Cameron that in the US anyone can get a job with a good education and they work hard. Another thing to think about is where the racism is coming from. The jobs and government is not aimed to make it unfair for anyone. The racism is coming from the people in charge, and you not having their respect. If you work hard and earn their respect then you can accomplish anything.
I couldn't find much evidence to coincide with the opinions of these people participating in the surveys. It was difficult to form a final idea to this article because these surveys are based on how the people felt, and there was an absence of concrete facts. I agree with the idea that both African Americans and Whites are being portrayed in the media equally. In addition, I also feel like police treatment towards these races is unfair. On television, you see a lot more run-ins with African Americans and the Police Department than you see with Whites and the Police Department. I was surprised to hear: "There's an unsurprising split in opinion over the Confederate flag; a majority of whites see it as a symbol of Southern pride, while most African-Americans see it as a symbol of racism" (PBS). I never realized that the flag was seen as a symbol of racism, and I wish I could understand how African Americans feel they are victims of racism. In conclusion, I feel there is lots of equal opportunity with African Americans and Whites in America; however, my opinion can't be justified because I haven't ventured out of El Dorado Hills enough to where I've seen unequal opportunities.
ReplyDeleteMarie Ong-- Period 6
This topic is hard to understand what African-Americans feel like when they show up to a job interview or see a confederate flag. "The Confederate flag; a majority of whites see it as a symbol of Southern pride, while most African-Americans see it as a symbol of racism" (PBS). I have always thought of the flag being a symbol of freedom for the Southern states, but yet African-Americans may think of it as racism because it was the freedom of the slaves which was usually African-Americans. However, I can see how there is not fair media portrayal because when you turn on your TV, what is the first person you see, are they white or are the African-American? Majority of the time they will be white, which shows us right there that it isn't fair. If we think about getting jobs, a lot of the African-American people won't even try for a job because it will remind them of being a "slave" or they know they will get rejected because of there color. I feel like this whole separation of races is really ridiculous and it will only carry on for more generations to come, until there are generations that don't understand why they are treated differently.
ReplyDeleteEmily Bobrowsky- Period 1
I think that whites and African-Americans should be paid and treated equally. After everything our country has been through, it is silly to think that we cannot except the fair treatment and pay between mixed races. People should be more open-minded about this "issue", or that's what people made it. People should also not treat certain races with more violence just because they are different. It makes the U.S.A a unique country, in that we can have multiple races living here, and together. There are countries that, I'm sure, do not allow that.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the American Opportunity is there for everyone. There are multiple races in the USA and each and everyone of them deserve the opportunity to be whatever they desire. There is a ton of racism and some believe that whites are getting more things than other races. In El Dorado Hills, we are not exposed to any of this and a lot of them have the American Opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI believe that there is equal opportunity in the U.S. My personal thoughts may be different from others, however, because of the area that I live in and have grown up in. I personally believe that everyone has equal opportunity I just think it's harder for others than for some.
ReplyDeletei believe that there is a race difference and a lot of people do now it but very little people do any thing about it. "Fifty-eight percent of respondents said race relations in the United States have deteriorated in the past year. When broken down by race, a majority of African-Americans (56 percent) and whites (60 percent) agree with this statement." many whites are more possible to get the job before black and many people know the racial problems in the us.this has been a bad problem in the us for many years and no one really does any thing to try and fix the problem.
ReplyDeleteThere is a big race difference between whites and African-Americans. I think that it is not fair for people to judge based on skin color. We all need to be treated and payed equally. White people think the "status quo is good"(NPR) because they aren't the ones being treated poorly. I know that in different countries that races are separated. U.S.A. is special because we are all able to live together.
ReplyDeleteI strongly believe that African Americans and Caucasians should be equally paid and all. It shouldn't even be a question. Our country has done a lot to create equal opportunities for everyone, and the fact that the question is still risen is a bit ridiculous. Skin color doesn't determine anything, were all still human. Human and human are equal. Why is that so hard to understand? The point of living in the area we do could be brought up, because here, we aren't really exposed to anything like this. Our views could very well be different than someone else who lives in a more diverse area.
ReplyDeleteHannah Miller, period 2
I am a really big believer in everyone being equal, I don't think that we should always look at race/gender/sexuality/etc before looking at the actual person. America favors white straight men so much and it's not right. I like how they included "While 52 percent of whites said they feel the opportunity to get a job was equal among whites and blacks, more than two-thirds of African-American respondents (76 percent) said it was not equal." because the job situation equality-wise is so awful. With the wage gap for women and people not hiring African Americans, America is so bad with equality. They make these laws that make it look like they're trying, but it's just them trying to make it look like they actually care, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteSandra Bedolla, period 2
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Delete"And when it comes to equal justice under the law, white Americans were almost evenly split. Exactly half of whites said African-Americans and Caucasians had the opportunity for equal justice under the law, while 46 percent disagreed. Among African-Americans, only 11 percent said the opportunity for equal justice is shared by blacks and whites, while 87 percent said it was not." I agree I think equality throughout all races and sexes is very important.
DeleteI believe that African Americans should have just as many rights as whites and they should be treated no different. One of the reasons African Americans feel like they are treated so bad is because of what happened in past events. A lot of people still relate whats happening with racial profiling bake in the 1800's. In retro spect, these events are no where as bad as what they were, or what they are made up to be. The media has a lot to do with this whole racial profiling thing, when in reality, it's not as bad as people say. Overall everyone deserves to be treated equal with the same rights, and no racial profiling.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI agree with you because we should all be equal no matter what it is. In the past African Americans have been looked down upon just for the color of their skin. If you are a human being then you should be aloud to be as equal as everyone else whether you are Hispanic, African American, etc. The point is I agree with what you said and there should never be someone that is not treated like everyone else just because of there skin color.
DeleteI agree with both of you. I think that everyone should be treated equally whether if you're African American, Hispanic, etc. What I'm trying to say is that there shouldn't be someone that's treated differently because of their skin color and what they look like.
Deletethis is a very large problem in the U.S. right now because it actually isn't just a problem in race but as well as in sex. Women are currently getting paid much much lower in the same jobs men have but are getting paid more then women. So this problem is effecting the whole country no matter who you are and the fact that this is a problem is terrible because every should be treated equally and there should not be any sexism or racism because it is just wrong.
ReplyDeleteI believe that all people should be respected and treated equally. Gender, race, sexuality, and religion/beliefs should not decrease or increase the "value" of a person."While 52 percent of whites said they feel the opportunity to get a job was equal among whites and blacks, more than two-thirds of African-American respondents (76 percent) said it was not equal." I believe this statement is true because although on the outside it looks like we as a whole, are getting somewhere and leaving the past behind, you dig deeper and see a poor job of equality.
ReplyDeleteCarissa Piercy
Period 4
Everyone should be treated and given the exact same rights regards to what ever sexuality, gender, race and religion you are. Females have been looked down upon for ages, such as getting lower income than men. Another thing is, African Americans deserve the exact same treatment that every other race gets because a human is a human, even if you have a different sexuality, gender, race and even religion.
ReplyDeleteAlle Turk
Period 4
No matter what your race, I think everyone should be treated the same way. If you work the same job as a person of the opposite race, you should get paid the same amount as them. No matter your gender or race, you should be given the same salary and treated with the same respect. Everyone is the same inside. You shouldn't judge someone off the color of their skin or male or female.
ReplyDeleteI believe that white and blacks have the same rights most of the time. For a majority of the situations, white and blacks will be treated equally. For the few times that blacks seem to not be treated equally, the situation is blown way out of proportion. Media seems to exaggerate all these types of situations, but they do happen. There are people who are prejudice against African-Americans, and I believe it is wrong: "Fifty-eight percent of respondents said race relations in the United States have deteriorated in the past year"(NPR). I agree with this statement. There seem to be a lot more cases of white policemen shooting African-Americans lately. I think this whole issue should be addressed more, but everyone should just be friendly and accepting to everyone.
ReplyDeleteRenee Gibson, period 2
I think that everyone should be treated the same no matter what their race is. People need to be treated equally in every situation in life, including the work place. No matter what your race, gender, sexuality, or religion is, everyone is human and should be treated with the same rights as everyone else.
ReplyDeleteAlena Romero Per. 5
I think that everyone should be treated the same no matter what their race is. People need to be treated equally in every situation in life, including the work place. No matter what your race, gender, sexuality, or religion is, everyone is human and should be treated with the same rights as everyone else.
ReplyDeleteAlena Romero Per. 5
It's 2015 and I still can't believe racism still exists. We live in El Dorado Hills where we do not see racism occur that often. "And when it comes to equal justice under the law, white Americans were almost evenly split. Exactly half of whites said African-Americans and Caucasians had the opportunity for equal justice under the law, while 46 percent disagreed. Among African-Americans, only 11 percent said the opportunity for equal justice is shared by blacks and whites, while 87 percent said it was not." Having opinions on different subjects makes sense, but when you start to hate people for it, it's wrong. Having a different race, gender or sexuality is not bad. This is a big issue here in the US, people shouldn't have to worry about this.
ReplyDeleteI feel that opportunity and equality should be a key factor for the United States. "While 52 percent of whites said they feel the opportunity to get a job was equal among whites and blacks, more than two-thirds of African-American respondents (76 percent) said it was not equal"(NPR). I know for a fact that there is still racism in America today. This can be shown indirectly through opportunities that whites and blacks receive. Much of this is relevant for race and gender and unfortunately there will always be racism and sexism but I believe that these can be mostly abolished through steps in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteMichelle Koopman, per. 1
ReplyDeleteLooking at the surveys, it is very clear that white people think the situation is much better that African Americans do. When asked about whether or not blacks and whites had the same justice opportunities "only 11 percent said the opportunity for equal justice is shared by blacks and whites, while 87 percent said it was not" (NPR). African Americans do not feel that they are being treated equally and according to the FBI Director, in a Washington Post article, everyone's a little bit racist. I don't think that a lot of people mean to be racist but e just naturally are. I also know that there are some people who go out of their way to strongly voice their opinion about people of different races. It is of my opinion that no matter how different someone is, they should be given the same opportunities as everyone else; however, that is not everyone's opinion and I can respect that.
In the two diagrams, both talked about fairness of pay and police treatment. Both the diagrams percentage were highly a no, that it wasn't equal for African Americans and Whites. (Divergent Views On Fairness Of Pay) ( Views On Fairness Of Police Treatment ) These diagrams reminded me of the recent Socratic Seminar about if the slaves were free during reconstruction and how we were put into 2 teams on who agrees they were free and not. The students who defended the slaves weren't free, spoken more.
ReplyDelete-Tyra Cardenas Period 5
I do feel that there is still racism in some parts of the U.S. There have been many different instances of racism on the news but living in El Dorado Hills, we are "protected", in a sense, of what is really happening in the outside world. I do believe that the Confederate Flag shouldn't be able to on peoples car or at schools because it does symbolize racism. Racism is very prevalent.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is that there is still lots of prejudice in the world. Living in America is a privilege because in other countries it is much worse. However, there are still problems we face as Americans, we face problems with discrimination when it comes to irrelevant things that we can't change. Some of these things include skin color, gender, sexual orientation, social status, etc. People will no matter what find something to not like about you however, it is truly sad that people will hold grudges over things we cannot change. It isn't just African Americans that get discriminated against. For instance if you are Caucasian and you venture to a town that is primarily filled with a population of various ethnicities that are not white you could also easily experience a level of discrimination. As far as the confederate flag it is something that has been turned into racism. At one point it was truly significant to people who had relatives in the civil war long ago. Just like how to swastika originated for religious purposes in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. However, the swastika soon became a degrading and awful symbol. Becoming a better nation doesn't start with banning a flag. It starts with individuals. It starts here in our town, racism isn't as prevalent in our town but it is most definitely still around us. Becoming a stronger nation starts with individuals changing their ways and recognizing that acts of racism aren't ever okay. We won't ever become better people if we don't acknowledge others differences as a good thing. The key to being a good person is accepting other people as they are. - Sabrina Shaw Per. 4
ReplyDeleteEverybody has an equal opportunity. It is what that person does with that opportunity. Police brutality is not a racial issue. The issue is people not listening to cops. Simple as that. If a police officer asks you to get out of your car, then you get out of your car. I do believe racism is still an issue, but constantly doing things to make your race look suspicious does not help your cause. The confederate flag is a sign of history and in 2015 it does not symbolize racism.
ReplyDeleteRight now, everyone is the most equal than they have ever been. Everyone has the same opportunities. I do not think that someone has a greater chance getting a job based on their skin color but the way that they carry themselves. Im not saying that racism is not still a problem, because it still is in some parts of America. But like I said before, people are the most equal now than they ever have been before.
ReplyDeleteKyle Brown P.5
The United States is known as the "land of opportunity". This should not be under looked because I do believe that every U.S. citizen has the same opportunity as the person standing next to them. It does not matter if they are a different race or gender they all have the same rights and opportunity as the next. Although there are bias people and racism is going on still going on, we are continually getting more and more equal. An example of this would be that gay marriage was legalized a few months ago. This is a sign we are trying to be as equal as possible as a nation.
ReplyDeleteRhys Kennedy Per. 6
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ReplyDeleteEveryone in today's society in America has an equal opportunity to amount to anything. Sadly, nothing will ever be exactly how we want it to be. This article states "But on questions of equality, opinions were split between white and African-american respondents" (PBS). I think whites and african americans still contains small factors of racism, but not enough to say that there is not an equal opportunity. The amount of pay one receives must be based on their work ethic and impact they make in society, not by the color of their skin.
ReplyDeletePeriod 1 ^^^^
DeleteI believe that there is equal opportunity among all US citizens. Any person, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation is allowed to apply and work anywhere. People often hang on to the past as an excuse for "inequality". It isn't that people don't have the same treatment; they choose not to listen to authority. There is clearly still racism in the US, but it surely doesn't prevent people from being whatever they want to be. America is a land of equal opportunity for everyone, especially compared to other countries.
ReplyDeletePer 1 ^^^
ReplyDeleteI believe that everyone should be treated equally and be given all the same opportunities. In America, everybody is guaranteed, by law, to have equal rights. However, racism is still a huge deal and it depriving people their rights and their freedom. Along the lines of the Confederate flag, I do not think it should be allowed to be flown in front of houses,schools, cars, etc. The fact that it is discriminating against an entire race is more important than the fact that some people see it as "Southern Pride". Police brutality against African-Americans is a very real and horrible issue. Black citizens are 3 times more likely to be killed by police than any other race, according to Huffington Post. The amount of opportunities someone has or the amount of money they are paid should not be based off of their skin color.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in our area we have little to no trouble dealing with these problems of not having equal opportunity and racism. But that as for other areas in the country i cant say the same, I don't think that racism is as bad as it is made look throughout the press and all of that but i think that its nuts that people still hang the confederate flag and run around doing hate crimes against a certain race. and remember its not just African Americans who get hated on a lot of other races face he same challenges right now. as for equal opportunity I think overall they have as fair of chance as anyone and same with women.
ReplyDeleteperiod 1
The Confederate flag is a symbol of racism. It was made to represent the Confederacy at the Civil War which historians have determined to be caused by slavery more so than states rights. In this past year, there have been far to many police shootings with a majority caused by racial discrimination. With African Americans having equal opportunity for work, legally they do have the same opportunity. It is difficult to prove that a person was denied a job because of race so just because they legally have the same chances doesn't mean that they truly do.
ReplyDeleteI believe 100% in equal opportunity no matter race or gender. But this is insane people, look where you live. You live in AMERICA the freest country on god's green earth. If you feel like you don't have equal opportunity then try going to South Africa they just recently allowed whites to marry blacks and have children with them. No this country isn't perfect but it's the best the world has to offer right now so if you don't like it leave.
ReplyDeleteI think that opportunity differs in some communities. I believe that in different places there might be more opportunity than others. And as Cameron said “the US provides a workplace that is open to anyone.” But, I believe that they have to choose to put in the effort and work hard for it.
ReplyDeleteLots of numbers and percentages, but at the end there's a clear statement from the african-american population: There are still inequalities in important subjects, for example for justice and police. On the other hand, most of the white people's votes are very positive. I believe that those votes are coming from people who did not get in touch with such problems so far, because they probably live in an environment with very few african-american people, for example the sacramento county. So altogether the black people's votes are the one we have to respect and receive, I believe.
ReplyDeleteBruno 5th period
Kollin Swinney P4
ReplyDeleteWhen your talking about as a whole, I think we are equal, but we leave in El Dorado Hills, and were teenagers, so we haven't been around enough to see this problem. I don't see this in El Dorado Hills, I believe that there is equal opportunities here, but that's because we live in El Dorado Hills, that doesn't have this problem. Ive never been to every state in the United States, so i cant be a 100% sure that we all have equal opportunities. Maybe in some other city or sate they have this problem, I just haven't seen it. From what I've seen in El Dorado Hills makes me think that we all have equal opportunities, until i visit a place that different then this, my opinion stays the same
I dont think that racism exists at the level discussed in the article. I think that all Americans - whether balck and white - are equal and are allowed to get a job no matter what color the skin or what gender they are. We all have the same opportunities. We are all capable of going to college, and getting an education and getting a job. I dont think that racism exists at the level descussed in the article. This may be harder for some people, but we all have the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me sad the difference between opinions of white and black adults. I believe that the opportunity to exceed is out there, but you have to want to achieve, to try and get it. As a middle class white male, if anything I am at the biggest disadvantage when it comes to college. I think it is the biggest problem in america right now, that people use the discrimination of the 60's as a crutch. What is there to gain? Pity? You can take isolated shootings and blow them up to look like racial discrimination, but what do you get. You end up with baltimore, a city destroyed by people wanting to be angry about something. America needs to wake up. Equal opportunity comes to those who want it. Millions of america are on welfare, and what are they doing? Complaining about unfair the system is
ReplyDelete