Poll: Millennials More Open to Idea of Slavery Reparations

A vast majority of white Americans say there should not be reparations for African-American descendants of slaves, but more than half of blacks say it’s a good idea and Hispanics are almost evenly split, according to a new poll.

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Overall, 68 percent of Americans say that reparations should not be paid to descendants of slaves, according to the poll.

Among the races polled, 81 percent of white Americans said no to reparations for slave descendants, the highest number among all races. The numbers were much closer among blacks and Hispanics, with 58 percent of blacks supporting reparations and 35 percent against the idea. Hispanic Americans were almost evenly divided, with 47 percent against and 46 percent for providing money for slave descendants.

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Americans over age 69 say by an 80-12 margin that reparations should not be paid to those related to slaves. Baby boomers between ages 51-69 are similar, with a 79-17 percent margin against reparations.

The numbers start changing when it comes to Generation Xers, with Americans between the ages of 35-50 breaking 73 percent to 25 percent against reparations. The biggest shift comes with millennials, with a majority–51 percent–saying that reparations should be paid or they were unsure of whether reparations should be paid. Forty percent of millennials were in favor of reparations and 11 percent were unsure, compared with the 49 percent of the millennials questioned who said reparations should not be paid to slave descendants.

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