Study: Blacks, Whites Split over Racial Progress Under Obama

A majority of Americans credit President Barack Obama for trying to improve race relations, but a quarter of Americans say he has made them worse, according to a new study released Monday by the Pew Research Center.

The report found a large divide between blacks and whites regarding Obama’s efforts to improve race relations, as 51 percent of blacks said Obama made progress compared to 28 percent of whites. Further, 34 percent of blacks said Obama tried, but failed, to make progress and 5 percent said he made race relations worse.

For white respondents, 32 percent said Obama has made race relations worse whereas 24 percent said Obama has tried, but failed, to make progress. The report found 63 percent of white Republicans said Obama has worsened race relations.

{snip}

On the Black Lives Matter movement, which rose to prominence in the aftermath of the killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, in Ferguson, Missouri, 65 percent of blacks expressed support of the movement. By comparison, four in 10 whites said they supported the movement, with particular support from white Democrats and those under the age of 30. {snip}

{snip}