Most Americans think that race relations in the U.S. are bad, and a substantial minority believe they are getting worse, according to the results of a New York Times/CBS News poll published Thursday.
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Americans give a mixed review to Obama for his handling of race relations in the US, and white and black Americans assess his presidency differently on this measure, according to the poll. This optimism and naivete ignored facts on the ground in inner cities and elsewhere, where an underclass populated largely by minorities continued to cycle through poverty and social stasis – sadly invisible to many Americans proudly celebrating the country’s achievement in electing a black president.
Blacks in particular have had a dramatic shift in their view of race relations during the Obama era.
Among whites, more disapprove (50 percent) than approve (40 percent), while blacks overwhelmingly approve (72 percent). Are race relations bad?
In contrast, 85 percent of blacks think the policies of the Obama administration favour both blacks and whites equally.
Meanwhile, 37 percent of Americans consider race relations to be going well, far below the percentage that said that in recent years. Six in 10 said race relations were bad in 2008, but that figure dropped to around 30% just after President Obama was elected.
Seventy-five percent of Americans overall said they felt “mostly safe” about the police in their communities, compared with 81 percent for whites and 51 percent for blacks.
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A new poll shows most Americans have negative opinions on the status of race relations in the United States.
