Posted on July 9, 2004

Racial and Ethnic Harmony Detected in New Ratings

Lydia Saad, Gallup News Service, July 8, 2004

Gallup’s annual Minority Rights and Relations survey, conducted June 9-30, finds that the American public has mostly positive perceptions of relations between blacks and whites, as well as between other racial and ethnic groups in the country today. Specifically, 72% of Americans think relations between whites and blacks are either “very” or “somewhat” good; only 26% say they are “very” or “somewhat” bad. White-Hispanic relations receive a similar review, while white-Asian relations are rated slightly better and black-Hispanic relations are rated slightly worse.

Contrasted with these generally upbeat results about the state of race relations in the country, a different question pre-supposing problems exist between whites and blacks finds a majority of blacks pessimistic that the problems between the two races will ever be worked out. Whites, on the other hand, are slightly more optimistic.

When asked, “Do you think that relations between blacks and whites will always be a problem for the United States, or that a solution will eventually be worked out?”, 57% of blacks say relations will always be a problem, compared with 44% of whites and 42% of Hispanics who feel this way. A slim majority of whites and Hispanics are optimistic that the problems will be worked out.