Posted on July 29, 2021

Black Americans’ Reports of Mistreatment Steady or Higher

Jeffrey M. Jones and Camille Lloyd, Gallup, July 27, 2021

Black Americans’ self-reports of being treated unfairly in a variety of situations are generally steady or higher rather than declining. This includes a new high of 35% who say they personally were treated unfairly while shopping during the past 30 days, up from 24% last year. In five other situations, reports of recent unfair treatment are similar to a year ago, and range from 17% to 21%.

In general, Black Americans are no less likely to report being treated unfairly in any of the five situations now than they were when Gallup first asked the items in 1997. The healthcare item was first asked in 2004.

{snip} Seventeen percent in 2021 say they were treated unfairly at work, compared with 17% in 2020, a high of 23% in 2003 and 2007, and 21% when first asked in 1997. A new high of 35% in 2021 say they were treated unfairly in a store, compared with 24% in 2020 and 30% in 1997. Twenty-one percent in 2021 say they were treated unfairly in a restaurant, bar, theater or other entertainment place, compared with 18% in 2020, a high of 26% in 2004, and 21% in 1997. Twenty percent in 2021 say they were treated unfairly in dealings with police, compared with 19% in 2020, a high of 25% in 2004 and 15% in 1997. Seventeen percent say they were treated unfairly while getting healthcare, compared with 13% in 2020 and the high of 20% when it was first asked in 2004.

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While none of the individual items comes close to the majority level, the majority of Black Americans, 54%, say they have been treated unfairly in at least one of the five situations. Forty-five percent have not experienced unfair treatment in any of the situations in the past 30 days.

In past years in which the same set of five items have been asked, the percentage of Black Americans reporting unfair treatment in at least one of the situations has been close to 50% — above it in some years but below it in others.

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Hispanic Americans are less likely than Black Americans to report unfair treatment in the same situations, especially while shopping at stores (16%) or in dealings with police (11%). Hispanic Americans are most likely to say they have been treated unfairly at a restaurant in the past 30 days, with 19% saying this has happened to them, on par with the 21% of Black Americans who were treated unfairly at a restaurant.

{snip} The responses in prior years were generally similar to the current data, with the exceptions of fewer Hispanic Americans in 2015 saying they were treated unfairly in a store while shopping (7%); in a restaurant, bar, theater or other entertainment place (9%); and while getting healthcare (9%).

Overall, 34% of Hispanic Americans this year say they have been treated unfairly in at least one of the five situations in the past 30 days, while 66% have not been treated unfairly in any of them.

In 2013, 32% of Hispanic Americans said they were treated unfairly in at least one of the five situations, while in 2015, 25% did.

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