Blacks, Whites Differ on Government’s Role in Civil Rights
Frank Newport, Gallup, August 19, 2011
Black and white Americans have starkly different views on the appropriate role of government in dealing with civil rights in this country. A majority of blacks (59%) say that the government should play a major role in improving the social and economic position of blacks, while 19% of whites agree. A little over half of blacks (52%) say that new civil rights laws are needed in this country, while 15% of whites agree.
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Fewer Americans See Government Role for Civil Rights
More generally, 27% of Americans–comprising all races and ethnic backgrounds–believe that the government should play a major role in improving the social and economic position of blacks and other minority groups, down significantly from 40% in 2004 and 37% in 2005. Almost half of Americans agree that the government should play a minor role. {snip}
Similarly, the percentage of all Americans who say that new civil rights laws are needed to reduce discrimination against blacks has dropped to 21% now from 38% in 1993, with similar changes among whites and blacks.
Americans More Positive About Civil Rights Situation Today
Almost 9 in 10 Americans, regardless of their position on the need for more government intervention in the civil rights arena, say that civil rights for blacks have improved at least somewhat in their lifetime, and the percentage saying that civil rights have “greatly” improved is up 18 percentage points since 1995.
{snip} More than half of whites say civil rights have greatly improved in their lifetime, while blacks tilt more toward the “somewhat” improved position. Blacks’ views on this issue have not changed substantively since 1995, while whites have become more positive.
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[Editor’s Note: Be sure to view the original article to see charts and tables of the actual poll results.]
