JAN. 02

Florida

#3

 

Department of Eduation

EQUAL EDUCA TIONAL OPPOR TUNITY PROGRAM

Ensuring Quality and Unleashing

Improved Performance

Racial Perceptions

A recent Gallup Poll found there are large differences between the views of white and black

Americans on key measures of race relations in the United States. While these perceptions

may not be representative of race relations at specific educational institutions, awareness of

these differences could assist decision makers as they plan strategies to improve the educa­

tional climate of their schools.

Racial Climate:

• Black Americans’ perceptions of the current state of race relations in the U.S. have deterio­

rated since 1998. Currently, 37% of black adults characterize race relations as “somewhat”

or “very” bad, compared to 27% in 1998. White evaluations have been stable over this

same period, with 29% currently giving a negative evaluation.

• Nearly 7 in 10 whites (69%) say that blacks are treated “the same as whites” in their own

community, this view is held by only 41% of blacks.

• 35% of white adults believe that blacks are treated less fairly by the police in their commu­

nity, compared to 66% of black adults.

• Nearly 9 of 10 whites feel that they are treated fairly by state and local police, compared to

just over half of blacks. This gap in perceptions of treatment by the police is significantly

larger than the one recorded in 1999, when blacks were much less likely to claim unfair

treatment.

• The practice of “racial profiling” is believed to be widespread by 83% of blacks, but only by

55% of whites. This is a significant increase since 1999.

• More than 8 of 10 whites said that black children have as good a chance as white children to

get a good education in their local community, but only half of blacks view the educational

opportunities for black and white children as equal. Although the gap between black and

white opinion has narrowed to half this size on several occasions over the past several

decades, it has broadened again, as black Americans’ perceptions of educational equality

for black children has declined. Americans’ opinions on this issue–and the significant racial

gap between them–stand almost exactly where they stood nearly 40 years ago.

• Satisfaction with one’s safety from physical harm or violence stands at 77% for blacks and

94% for whites.

The EQUIP series provides summaries of current data and research to enhance the decision making and planning process

as Florida’s educational institutions conduct comprehensive self-assessments to identify measurable methods and strate­

gies to ensure access to high quality instruction.

325 West Gaines St. Rm. 348 • Tallahassee, 32399

.firn.edu/doe/eeop/eeop.html

850-488-6217 • http//www

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• When asked which group would do the best job at improving race relations — local business,

local government, state government, federal government, religious organizations or local

schools–blacks give significantly lower ratings than whites to all groups. In general, Americans

are divided between those that feel religious organizations and local schools would do the

best job. Blacks are more likely to choose religious organizations (26%) than local schools

(17%), while whites pick local schools (30%) over religious organizations (22%).

The gap between black and white opinions on questions about equal treatment is a long-term

fixture of American racial opinion and has shown only a modest narrowing in the past 35

years.

Looking to the future, a majority of blacks express pessimism about the likelihood that a

solution to the problems of black/white relations in the U.S. will ever be worked out. Black

Americans are as pessimistic as they have ever been with 66% claiming that race relations

will always be a problem in this country. At the same time, white Americans express less

pessimism about the future of black/white relations than they have since Gallup first asked

the question in 1993. Currently, 45% of whites say that race relations will always be a problem.

The divergence between white and black Americans’ expectations for the future of race relations

stands at an all-time high of 21 percentage points, and is especially acute among those over

the age of 50. Among this older segment, the belief among blacks that race relations will

always be a problem has risen to 69%, while among whites of this age it has fallen to 40%. In

contrast, over the 3 previous surveys, the levels of pessimism among blacks and whites in

this age bracket had been within 4 percentage points of each other.

Gallup Poll Social Audit on Black/White Relations in the United States

conducted from March 23-May 15, 2001