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Fewer Blacks Say Anti-White Sentiment is Widespread in Black Community

Fewer Blacks Say Anti-White Sentiment is Widespread in Black Community

Two thirds now say only a few blacks dislike whites

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- Anti-white animus is reportedly to blame for a shooting rampage in New York's East Village over the weekend, leaving three randomly targeted white victims badly injured. Eyewitnesses to the crime say the lone gunman was shouting statements about his hatred of whites and his resentment of white treatment of blacks.

Despite this incident, Gallup's recent update of attitudes about race relations, conducted June 3-9, finds that, compared to the 1990s, fewer blacks today say dislike of whites is widespread in the black community. Whites are also much more likely to perceive good relations with blacks than they were following the Rodney King riots in 1992, an improvement that was first recorded in 1995.

Gallup first asked Americans "How many black people dislike whites?" in May 1992, shortly following black rioting in Los Angeles that stemmed from the acquittal of police officers in the Rodney King beating incident. At that time, only a bare majority of blacks, 53%, believed that black dislike of whites was a rare sentiment, while 41% said many or almost all blacks feel that way. Gallup found this perception becoming slightly more positive in the mid and late 1990s, and it is even more positive today. Two thirds of blacks now believe that only a few black people dislike whites. Just 28% believe many blacks dislike whites, and only 3% say all blacks feel this way.

Black Opinion:
How Many Blacks Dislike Whites?

Whites' perceptions of blacks' attitudes have changed even more markedly over this period. In 1992 and 1995, only 37% of whites believed that black dislike of whites was relatively rare, while the majority of whites believed that many or all blacks feel that way. However that perception became substantially more positive by 1995, when a majority of whites said that only a few blacks dislike whites. That figure remains the same in the latest poll.

White Opinion:
How Many Blacks Dislike Whites?

Perceptions of White Attitudes More Stable Over Time

Throughout this period, a majority of whites and blacks have agreed that only a small number of whites dislike blacks. Today the percentage saying "only a few whites dislike blacks" is 52% among blacks and 62% among whites. In 1992 these figures were 53% and 59%, respectively.

Still, 10% of blacks today believe that "almost all white people dislike blacks" and 36% believe many whites feel this way -- resulting in 46% of blacks believing that white hostility toward blacks is fairly widespread. Only 34% of whites share this view.

2002: How Many Whites Dislike Blacks?
June 3-9, 2002

Survey Methods

These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,360 adults, 18 years and older, conducted June 3-9, 2002. The survey includes interviews with 236 blacks and 263 Hispanics, weighted to their correct proportion in the population. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. Results based on the subsamples of blacks and Hispanics have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 7 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

(In general, how do you think people in the United States feel about people of other races?) Do you think only a few white people dislike blacks, many white people dislike blacks, or almost all white people dislike blacks?

 

Only a few

Many

Almost all

NONE (vol.)

No opinion

%

%

%

%

%

National Adults

2002 Jun 3-9

60

32

4

1

3

1998 Apr/June ^

60

34

3

1

2

1998 Jun 5-7

63

31

3

1

2

1998 Apr 17-19

56

37

3

1

3

1996 Aug 5-7

61

32

2

--

5

1996 Jul 25-28

52

40

4

--

4

1996 Jul 18-21

52

40

4

--

4

1996 Jun 27-30

51

43

3

--

3

1995 Oct 5-7

58

33

3

--

6

1992 May 7-10

58

35

3

--

4

Men

2002 Jun 3-9

66

25

5

*

4

Women

2002 Jun 3-9

54

39

3

1

3

Non-Hispanic Whites

2002 Jun 3-6

62

32

2

1

3

1998 Apr/Jun ^

61

34

3

*

2

1995 Oct 5-7

59

33

3

--

5

1992 May 7-10

59

36

2

--

3

Blacks

2002 Jun 3-9

52

36

10

*

2

1998 Apr/Jun ^

50

40

5

1

4

1995 Oct 5-7

55

30

5

--

10

1992 May 7-10

53

32

8

--

7

Hispanics

2002 Jun 3-9

52

34

8

2

4

^

Aggregated results based on surveys conducted June 5-7, 1998 and April 17-19, 1998. Total number of interviews is 2,010, including 1,654 whites and 203 blacks.



(In general, how do you think people in the United States feel about people of other races?) Do you think only a few black people dislike whites, many black people dislike whites, or almost all black people dislike whites?

 

Only a few

Many

Almost all

NONE (vol.)

No opinion

%

%

%

%

%

National Adults

2002 Jun 3-9

53

37

6

1

3

1998 Apr/Jun ^

52

37

6

1

4

1998 Jun 5-7

58

33

5

*

4

1998 Apr 17-19

47

40

8

1

4

1996 Aug 5-7

46

43

6

--

5

1996 Jul 25-28

47

40

7

--

6

1996 Jul 18-21

47

40

6

--

7

1996 Jun 27-30

46

43

6

--

5

1995 Oct 5-7

39

44

10

--

7

1992 May 7-10

39

46

10

--

5

Men

2002 Jun 3-9

58

32

7

1

2

Women

2002 Jun 3-9

49

42

5

*

4

Non-Hispanic Whites

2002 Jun 3-6

52

39

5

1

3

1998 Apr/Jun ^

52

38

6

1

3

1995 Oct 5-7

37

46

11

--

6

1992 May 7-10

37

48

10

--

5

Blacks

2002 Jun 3-9

66

28

3

*

3

1998 Apr/Jun ^

57

32

4

1

6

1995 Oct 5-7

57

31

4

--

8

1992 May 7-10

53

35

6

--

6

Hispanics

2002 Jun 3-9

50

32

11

1

6

^

Aggregated results based on surveys conducted June 5-7, 1998 and April 17-19, 1998. Total number of interviews is 2,010, including 1,654 whites and 203 blacks.

*

Less than 0.5%




Gallup https://news.gallup.com/poll/6241/Fewer-Blacks-Say-AntiWhite-Sentiment-Widespread-Black-Community.aspx
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