Public Opinion - Discrimination

In "Black Dissatisfaction Simmers beneath Good Race Relations" (August 22, 2003, http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=9100), Lydia Saad reports that 68% of Americans believed that African-Americans in their own communities are treated as well as whites. This figure, however, masks a distinct divide, with only 39% of blacks reporting that African-Americans are FIGURE 9.1 Public opinion on satisfaction with direction of United States, 2004 Josephine Mazzuca, "In General, Are You Satisfied or Dissatisfied with the Way Things Are Going in the United States at This Time?" in "Minorities Unhappy with the Way Things Are Going," Gallup Poll News Service, August 3, 2004, http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=12592 (accessed January 30, 2006). Copyright © 2004 by The Gallup Organization. Reproduced by permission of The Gallup Organization.FIGURE 9.2 Public opinion satisfaction with position of blacks and other minorities, 2004 Darren K. Carlson, "Satisfaction with Position of Blacks and Other Minorities: Whites vs. Nonwhites," in "As Blacks Mark History, Satisfaction Gap Persists," Gallup Poll News Service, February 17, 2004, http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=10627 (accessed January 30, 2006). Copyright © 2004 by The Gallup Organization. Reproduced by permission of The Gallup Organization.treated as well as whites, as opposed to 73% of whites who felt this way. African-American respondents indicated that they were generally dissatisfied with the way African-Americans are treated in society—39% felt very dissatisfied, 20% felt somewhat dissatisfied, and only 10% felt very satisfied. Most African-Americans reported FIGURE 9.3 Public opinion on quality of life for Hispanics, Junly 2003 Heather Mason Kiefer, "Quality of Life for Hispanics," in "Como Va La Vida? Hispanics Say Life Is Good," Gallup Poll News Service, July 22, 2003, http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=8893&pg=1 (accessed January 30, 2006). Copyright © 2005 by The Gallup Organization. Reproduced by permission of The Gallup Organization.having experienced racial discrimination in public life or employment, with 26% reporting that they experienced it at least weekly. Four out of five (81%) believed that racial minorities did not have equal job opportunities as whites.

Education for African-Americans

African-Americans are less likely than whites to say that their children have the same opportunity as white children to get a good education. According to Gallup, between 1962 and 2003 the number of African-Americans reporting that their children had a "good chance" of receiving a comparable education ranged from 53% (in 1962) to a high of 68% in 1990. In 1995 this figure began a steady decline, and in a Gallup survey conducted in 2005, only 51% of African-Americans said that black children in their communities had as good a chance as white children to get a good education. A large majority of whites, however, including Hispanics, believed that black children had as good a chance as their white peers to get a good education. (See Figure 9.4.)

That racial divide in perceptions of educational opportunities for African-American children continued into discussions of higher education. When asked, "If two equally qualified students, one white and one black, applied to a major U.S. college or university, who do you think would have the better chance of being accepted to the college—the white student, the black student, or FIGURE 9.4 Public opinion on whether black children have as good a chance as white children to get a good education, 2005 Heather Mason Kiefer, "In General, Do You Think that Black Children Have as Good a Chance as White Children in Your Community to Get a Good Education, or Don't You Think They Have as Good a Chance?" in "Blacks: Good Education Still Out of Reach for Many," The Gallup Poll News Service, August 9, 2005, http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=17734 (accessed January 30, 2006). Copyright © 2005 by The Gallup Organization. Reproduced by permission of The Gallup Organization.would they have the same chance?" 64% of African-American respondents compared with 21% of non-Hispanic white respondents said the white student would have the better chance. By contrast, 24% of non-Hispanic whites said the African-American student would have the better chance, while only 4% of African-American respondents said so. Half of non-Hispanic white respondents believed the two students would have an equal chance; only 29% of African-American respondents believed the two students would be treated equally. (See Figure 9.5.)

Housing for African-Americans

Saad reports in "Blacks Lag behind Whites in Life Satisfaction" (January 19, 2004, http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=10258) that African-Americans were less satisfied with the quality of their housing than their white counterparts: only 44% of African-Americans reported being very satisfied with their housing, as opposed to 69% of whites. In "Blacks More Pessimistic Than Whites about Economic Opportunities" (July 9, 2004, http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=12307&pg=1), Jeffrey M. Jones finds that the number of African-Americans who reported that they believed African-Americans have the same opportunity as whites to secure affordable housing rose from 51% in 1989 (the first year the question was asked) to 58% in 1997. FIGURE 9.5 Public opinion on whether white or black students have a better chance of being accepted into college, by race, 2005 Linda Lyons, "Better Chance to Gain Admission by Race," in "Blacks: Whites Have Advantage in College Admissions," The Gallup Poll News Service, September 13, 2005, http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=18487 (accessed January 30, 2006). Copyright © 2005 by The Gallup Organization. Reproduced by permission of The Gallup Organization.Between 1997 and 2004 the figure declined; it dropped to 48% in 2001 and 2002 and then rose to 55% in 2004.