Americans Divided on Whether King’s Dream Has Been Realized

Americans are about equally divided on whether Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of U.S. racial equality has been realized, with 51% saying it has and 49% saying it has not. Blacks (54%) are slightly more optimistic than whites (49%) that the dream has been realized.

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{snip} The poll included an oversample of black respondents.

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The poll finds Americans have very positive views of King. Ninety-four percent rate him positively on a scale ranging from +5 (very favorable) to -5 (very unfavorable), including 69% giving him a +4 or +5 rating.

Gallup asked the same question several times in the 1960s, and the current numbers represent a dramatic shift in the way Americans view King now compared with the past. His prior ratings were at best slightly more positive than negative, and in a 1966 measurement, Americans were nearly twice as likely to have a negative (63%) as positive (33%) opinion of him. That negative evaluation was likely the result of his public opposition to the Vietnam War at a time when Americans still favored it as well as the opposition of some to the continued push for expanded civil rights and economic legislation to assist blacks.

In the current poll, 65% of whites and 95% of blacks give King a +4 or +5 favorable rating.

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Given the high regard Americans currently have for Dr. King, it is not surprising that 91% approve of having a national memorial to him. {snip}

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