Politics News

Racism Still A ‘Big Problem’ In America, Poll Finds

CNN and non-profit group the Kaiser Foundation teamed up to create the Survey of Americans on Race in an effort to create a nationally representative poll that focused on ethnicity and race and how people felt that it impacted their daily lives.

The survey was taken by people from different races and ethnic groups, and the results were used to assess “race relations, discrimination, unfair treatment by police and social and economic inequality.”

Conducted between August 25 and October 3, 2015, the survey was answered by a probability-based, randomly-selected sample of 1,951 adults. Interviews were carried out in English or Spanish, depending on the individual’s preference. To make sure that the views of African Americans and Hispanic Americans were well-reflected, additional interviews were conducted in what is called an “oversample.” A total of 500 interviews were carried out with African Americans, and 501 were done with Hispanic Americans.

The findings showed that half of Americans today believe that racism is a serious problem in the country. 49 percent responded “yes” when asked, “Is racism a big problem in America today?” In 2011, only 28 percent of Americans said that racism was a concern. In 2015, “yes” was 21 points higher.

Don Lemon from CNN stated:

What’s more interesting and probably not as surprising is that blacks and whites see it differently.

Opinions on racism varied based on party affiliation and race. 28 percent of white respondents thought racism was a pressing issue, whereas 66 percent of blacks and 64 percent of Hispanics believe it is.

CNN did not state any reasons as to if these results indicate a higher cause for concern, but the Black Lives Matter movement has helped to raise public awareness about inequality and has brought national attention the last two years to police violence against unarmed black Americans.

Further analysis and findings were released on CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, during Lemon’s new segment, “Race and Reality in America.”

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