Americans are more conscious of racism as an important social issue than at any time since 1992.
The percentage of Americans naming “race relations” or “racism” as the most important problem in the U.S. has climbed dramatically to 13%, the highest figure Gallup has recorded since a finding of 15% in 1992, in the midst of the Rodney King verdict. In November, race relations/racism was cited by 1% of the public as the most important problem.
Since 1992, the percentage of Americans saying race relations/racism is America’s biggest problem has ranged from 0% to 5%. The jump to 13% this month comes on the heels of national protests of police treatment of blacks in the wake of incidents in Ferguson, Missouri, and Staten Island, New York, among others.
Concurrently, Gallup has found recent drops in nonwhites’ confidence in police to protect them as well as nonwhites’ ratings of the honesty and ethical standards of police officers.
Posted by Andrew Gerns