The majority of registered voters say that American society is racist.
In the recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 59% of registered voters surveyed say Black Americans are discriminated against. This is up significantly from 28% of voters in 2008. Nearly three fourths of Americans believe race relations are very or fairly bad, a 16 point increase from February of this year. These increases are driven by pockets of voter groups – Democrats, white college educated women, 18 to 34-year-olds, Blacks and Hispanics. Greater awareness of the impact of racism has generated unprecedented support for the Black Lives Matter movement and acts of protests like kneeling during the national anthem and removing Confederate monuments.
What is interesting to note is that although there is growing agreement that racism is, indeed, alive and well in the United States, there is disagreement on the root cause of this racism. Black voters are more likely to describe racism as systemic, while White voters are more likely to attribute racism to the behavior of individuals.
The poll underscored the need for continuing dialogue with voters about race. As Brenda Lee noted in the Wall Street Journal, “Americans are concerned about issues of inequality, and George Floyd’s death helped contribute to that. We’ve moved the needle a great deal in terms of just clearly identifying that we, as Americans, have an issue with racism in this society.”
Brenda Lee, Founding Director of Vision Strategy and Insights, is a contributor in the recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Please refer to the articles below for further details on the poll.
Contact:
Brenda Lee
Founding Director
Vision Strategy and Insights
410-521-2147
brenda@visionstrategyandinsights.com
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/poll-more-voters-acknowledge-symptoms-racism-disagree-about-its-causes-n1234363
