Public Opinion - Relations Between Whites And Minority Groups

When asked in a Gallup poll in June 2004 about relations between racial and ethnic groups, 72% of Americans maintained that relations between African-Americans and whites were somewhat or very good, 74% thought relations between whites and Hispanics were somewhat or very good, and 81% thought relations between whites and Asian-Americans were somewhat or very good. (See Figure 9.6.) In "Racial and Ethnic Harmony Detected in New Ratings" (July 8, 2004, http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=12304&pg=1), Saad shows that whites were slightly more likely than African-Americans to perceive relations between whites and blacks as good (74% and 68%, respectively). In addition, at least four out of five of all non-Hispanic whites, African-Americans, and Hispanics reported in 2004 that they had close personal friends from different racial or ethnic backgrounds than themselves, indicating that most Americans embrace diversity to at least some extent in their personal lives. (See Figure 9.7.)

However, whites and minority groups differ in their satisfaction with the state of race relations in the nation. In a January 2004 Gallup poll, 56% of whites said they were at least somewhat satisfied with race relations. FIGURE 9.6 Public opinion on ethnic/racial relations, June 2004 Lydia Saad, "U.S. Ethnic/Racial Relations Ratings," in "Racial and Ethnic Harmony Detected in New Ratings," Gallup Poll News Service, July 8, 2004, http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=12304 (accessed January 30, 2006). Copyright © 2004 by The Gallup Organization. Reproduced by permission of The Gallup Organization.FIGURE 9.7 Public opinion on interracial friendships, 2003 Josephine Mazzuca, "Do Americans Have Friends Who Are Not of Their Own Race or Ethnicity?" in "For Most Americans, Friendship is Colorblind," Gallup Poll News Service, July 13, 2004, http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=12349 (accessed January 30, 2006). Copyright © 2004 by The Gallup Organization. Reproduced by permission of The Gallup Organization.However, only 44% of nonwhites shared that satisfaction. (See Figure 9.8.)

Acceptance of Interracial Marriage

Considerable progress has been made in public acceptance of interracial marriage. In 1968 only 20% of Americans polled were accepting of marriage between FIGURE 9.8 Public opinion on satisfaction with state of race relations, 2004 Darren K. Carlson, "Satisfaction with State of Race Relations," 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.couples of different races, but Jack Ludwig reports in "Acceptance of Interracial Marriage at Record High" (June 1, 2004, http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=11836) that 73% of Americans approved of marriages between whites and African-Americans. Younger Americans are significantly more accepting than older Americans—with 85% of adults under age thirty approving, as opposed to only 47% of people age sixty-five and older—indicating that this trend toward increasing acceptance is likely to continue.