Posted on October 11, 2005

Gallup: Americans Overwhelmingly Favor Interracial Dating

Editor and Publisher, Oct. 11

NEW YORK—Americans of a certain age recall vividly when interracial dating was widely frowned on, and even led to the lynching of many black men. Those days have seemingly passed, however, according to a new Gallup Poll.

The results, released Tuesday, find that Americans of all races overwhelmingly support interracial dating, with younger people approving nearly unanimously.

Putting these views into action, almost half of all Americans say they have personally dated a person of a different racial/ethnic group, again with younger people in the lead.

Somewhat fewer whites than blacks accept interracial dating, but their support is still strong.

There is no longer even a double standard on the gender involved, with 71% the entire sample approving a black man dating a white woman and 75% backing a white man dating a black woman.

In all, 69% of Hispanics say they have dated someone of a different racial or ethnic group, 52% of blacks say this and 45% of whites. There is some gender difference among blacks, with 64% of African-American men saying they have dated a non-black and 42% of black women saying this.

The survey was based on polling 1,116 total adults.