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Newsweek/Daily Beast Poll Finds Majorities of Americans Think Country Divided by Race
The Daily Beast ^ | April 7, 2012 | Douglas Schoen, Democratic Pollster

Posted on 04/07/2012 1:54:46 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

A new Newsweek/Daily Beast Poll finds that America is facing a deepening level of racial division and polarization.

Majorities of both whites (72%) and blacks (89%) believe the country is divided by race, the Poll finds. But twice as many blacks (40%) as whites (20%) say it is very divided. And just 19 percent of whites say that racism is a big problem in America, vs. 60 percent of blacks.

Meanwhile, the killing of 17-year old Trayvon Martin has further polarized America along racial lines, the Newsweek/Daily Beast Poll finds. In the survey, whites are divided over whether they think Martin’s death was racially motivated. Thirty-five percent of whites say Martin’s death was racially motivated, while 30 percent say Zimmerman acted in self-defense and 35 percent are not sure. African-Americans, however, are convinced it was racially motivated (80% vs. 2%).

Whites also are divided on the question of whether Martin was targeted because he was a young black man–41 percent say yes, while 34 percent say no and 21 percent are not sure. Blacks are convinced he was targeted because he was a young black man (85% vs. 4%).

There also is a significant split over President Obama’s handling of the Trayvon Martin controversy–with a majority (52%) of whites saying they disapprove of the way he has handled the shooting while only 38 percent approve.

Blacks say the opposite–with near unanimous (87% vs. 5%) approval for the president’s handling of the shooting.

Nearly four years after the election of the nation’s first African-American president, majorities of both whites and African Americans surveyed say that race relations in the country have either stayed the same or gotten worse. Sixty-three percent of whites and 58 percent of African-Americans say race relations have either stayed the same or worsened—while only 28 percent of whites and 38 percent of African-Americans say they have gotten better.

Similarly, on the question of how Obama has handled race relations since he became president, whites disapprove (47% vs. 41%) while blacks are overwhelmingly positive (84% vs. 8%).

And when asked whether or not Obama has been helpful or not in bridging the racial divide in the country, whites say not helpful (51%) while blacks say helpful (69%).

The Newsweek/Daily Beast Poll found that both whites and blacks agree that racial stereotyping still occurs in American society today and majorities of both whites (72%) and blacks (89%) say America is divided on the basis of race.

But blacks and whites have fundamentally different perspectives when it comes to frequency, severity, and longevity of racial discrimination blacks face.

Whites and blacks disagree–and disagree fundamentally when it comes to when—blacks will achieve racial equality with whites. While a clear majority of whites (65%) say that blacks have achieved or will soon achieve racial equality, blacks are much less optimistic about the state of black progress. Only 16 percent of blacks say they have already achieved racial equality and nearly half of blacks (47%) say that they will not achieve racial equality in their lifetime or will never achieve racial equality.

African Americans were particularly sensitive to the economic downturn and were much more likely than whites to say that the prolonged recession contributed significantly to more discrimination in employment and housing. Sixty-five percent of African-Americans surveyed said that the current economic situation today has played a role in promotion racial discrimination, compared to just 42% of whites.

And while seventy percent (70%) of whites think that blacks in America the same chance as whites to get housing they can afford, only 35 percennt of blacks agree.

Similarly, 70 percent of whites think blacks in America today have as good a chance as whites to get a job for which they’re qualified–a view shared by only one-quarter of blacks.

And while virtually all whites (92%) and blacks (95%) agree that racial profiling occurs at least some of the time, the two groups diverge over whether profiling happens all of the time–a solid 63 percent of blacks say yes while less than one-quarter of whites agree.

Both whites and blacks agree that it is the responsibility of the federal government to make sure that the courts and the police treat minorities and whites equally. But the two groups disagree fundamentally over whether it is ever justified for police to take factors such as race ethnicity and overall appearance into consideration when making an arrest. A majority (56%) of whites say that it is at least sometimes justified for police to use factors such as race, ethnicity, and overall appearance–a view shared by only 28% of blacks.

Nearly six times as many African-Americans as whites (29% vs. 5%) say they have been unfairly stopped by the police because of their race or ethnicity all or some of the time.

When asked whether the police and courts treat blacks the same as they treat whites in America today, 82 percent of whites say that police treat blacks the same as whites all or some of the time, and 86 percent say the same of the courts. A majority of blacks however, say that blacks are rarely or never treated equally by the police (53%) or the courts (52%).

The Newsweek/Daily Beast Poll was conducted by telephone between March 30 and April 1 from a random sample of 600 registered voters and a separate oversample of 400 registered African-American voters. The margin of error for the first group is plus or minus 4 percent while the margin of error for the second group is plus or minus 4.9 percent.


TOPICS: Campaign News; Issues; Parties; Polls
KEYWORDS: obama; obamanation; polls; trayvonmartin; tribefirst; zimmerman
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I’d like to see a poll where they ask blacks if they think whites are racist and vica-versa.


21 posted on 04/07/2012 5:03:45 AM PDT by ebshumidors ( Marksmanship and YOUR heritage http://www.appleseedinfo.org)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I’d like to see a poll where they ask blacks if they think whites are racist and vica-versa.


22 posted on 04/07/2012 5:03:52 AM PDT by ebshumidors ( Marksmanship and YOUR heritage http://www.appleseedinfo.org)
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To: nathanbedford
“...or more destructive to the rule of law.”

The rule of law has been under direct frontal assault for about 45 years now. We may be headed into the denouement today.

23 posted on 04/07/2012 5:06:05 AM PDT by TalBlack ( Evil doesn't have a day job.)
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To: Yosemitest
We killed Communists every where they didn't surrender during WW II.

And we didn't give up when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.

24 posted on 04/07/2012 5:15:36 AM PDT by Doe Eyes
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Newsweek/Daily Beast Poll Finds Majorities of Americans Think Country Divided by Rac(ist President).


25 posted on 04/07/2012 5:20:48 AM PDT by UCANSEE2 (Lame and ill-informed post)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I live in a very diverse area, Abington, just outside Philly. I have definitely sensed an uptick in seething anger when I’m around black people. Then again, I tend to put out a vibe myself, “you don’t intimidate me.”

Just the other day I was walking in a parking lot when a male “youth” eyeballed me. I gave it right back to him and nothing happened. I pity the soft liberal babe who runs into him next.


26 posted on 04/07/2012 5:43:11 AM PDT by Scarpetta (e pluribus victim)
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To: Doe Eyes
You mean the Japanese?
27 posted on 04/07/2012 6:16:50 AM PDT by Yosemitest (It's simple, fight or die!)
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To: Doe Eyes

Or when the Chinese invaded Canada, either!


28 posted on 04/07/2012 6:32:40 AM PDT by gogogodzilla (Live free or die!)
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To: Doe Eyes
You meant Congressman Keith Ellison (D-Minn.)telling host Bill O'Reilly that the Nazis bombed Pearl Harbor (video follows).

29 posted on 04/07/2012 6:36:59 AM PDT by Yosemitest (It's simple, fight or die!)
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To: Yosemitest
It's a quote from 'Animal House'.

Bluto: Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

30 posted on 04/07/2012 6:42:48 AM PDT by gogogodzilla (Live free or die!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

America is divided by more than race. LoL


31 posted on 04/07/2012 6:44:25 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

On the surface, I have to say Americans are not divided by race. They are divided by Barack Obama.


32 posted on 04/07/2012 6:49:13 AM PDT by cblue55 (Mr. Obama, was your mother punished with a baby?)
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To: nathanbedford
Almost certainly Zimmerman will now be arrested and probably indicted to pander to the mob.

I find that doubtful as Zimmerman is not in custody now.

I find it more likely that he will be absolved, just in time for a long summer of riots and wilding.

33 posted on 04/07/2012 6:50:21 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: MestaMachine

Trayvon is shot 2/26/12
The first national story of the shooting is published 3/8/12
Obama gives himself wide powers to declare martial law via executive order 3/16/12
Obama says if he had a son he would look like Trayvon 3/23/12
Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton get involved 3/23/12

See a pattern?


34 posted on 04/07/2012 6:59:14 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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DOJ to investigate Trayvon shooting 3/19/12


35 posted on 04/07/2012 7:02:02 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Yosemitest

I bet he’d swear to it on the Koran!


36 posted on 04/07/2012 7:05:39 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: mylife

“African-Americans, however, are convinced it was racially motivated (80% vs. 2%).”

Well then I guess we know who the real racists are.

That’s an eyeopener to me and really lowers my opinion of black people.


37 posted on 04/07/2012 7:46:35 AM PDT by JCBreckenridge
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To: JCBreckenridge

No amount of evidence or reason will dissuade them, but you knew that.
Obama will get the same turn out at the polls this year.


38 posted on 04/07/2012 7:50:35 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: cblue55

The actual division is “Moochers” vs. “Producers”. Government policy has been subsidizing moochers for so long that their numbers have increased to unsustainable proportions. A war is inevitable at this point. The moochers don’t feel they are gifted enough at this point. They won’t sit quietly when the money does, indeed, dry up. Thanks democrats and RINOs. You have destroyed a once great culture.


39 posted on 04/07/2012 8:02:43 AM PDT by gorush (History repeats itself because human nature is static)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“Newsweek/Daily Beast Poll Finds Majorities of Americans Think Country Divided by Race”

Americans are quite perceptive of reality.
Even when the elites and media are not.

Most troubling:
“But twice as many blacks (40%) as whites (20%) say it is very divided. And just 19 percent of whites say that racism is a big problem in America, vs. 60 percent of blacks.”

Since the 1950’s, all attempts to promote “equality” and “integration” have not improved racial relations in America. Quite the contrary, they have made, and continue to make the situation progressively worse.

Central to these divisions was the passage of the Civil Rights Act. By creating “protected classes” of individuals (quite intentionally blacks), it did more to promote UNequality than vice versa. The CRA had the side-effect of jump-starting the “discrim-industry”, today headed by the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. What use is a law that is supposedly enacted to root out and identify “discrimination”, unless you have an ever-increasing number of “victims” and an ever-identifiable group of “discriminators” determined to keep them down?

Since the 50’s/60’s, blacks have been bombarded with the propaganda that they are the victims of white racism, both historically (as slaves) and today. For a black person, taught from childhood that whites are suspect, what other possible result can be expected, other than those revealed by the results of the poll above?

Also from the article:
“Only 16 percent of blacks say they have already achieved racial equality and nearly half of blacks (47%) say that they will not achieve racial equality in their lifetime or will never achieve racial equality.”

Things are not going to get better....


40 posted on 04/07/2012 9:56:30 AM PDT by Road Glide
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