Gallup Poll on Race Relations

[Trajan12]

Gallup

Whites May Exaggerate Black-Hispanic Tensions

Most blacks and Hispanics say relations between the two groups are good

PRINCETON, NJ -- Fewer than half of white adults in the United States -- contrasted with 60% of Hispanics and two-thirds of blacks -- believe good relations exist between U.S. blacks and Hispanics.

Blacks are clearly the most upbeat of the three groups about the state of black-Hispanic relations, as only 29% of blacks, compared with 36% of Hispanics and 43% of whites, say relations are bad. But Hispanics are significantly more positive than whites.

These findings are from the 2008 installment of Gallup's Minority Rights and Relations survey, conducted each June since 2001. This year's survey, fielded June 5 to July 6, includes interviews with 608 blacks and 502 Hispanics, and includes Spanish-language interviewing with nearly a quarter of the Hispanic sample. The black and Hispanic samples are weighted so they are correctly represented in the national totals.

The 2008 Gallup results are not new. For each of the past eight years, whites have had a substantially worse opinion than have blacks of black-Hispanic relations. And for most of this period, whites have had a more negative view than Hispanics.

Gallup's race-relations question asks all Americans to rate relations between blacks and Hispanics as either "very good," "somewhat good," "somewhat bad," or "very bad." Because of the relatively less positive perspective of whites, just 49% of Americans as a whole believe these relations are good, while 40% perceive them to be bad. This makes black-Hispanic relations the worst rated of the four racial/ethnic pairings measured in the survey.

Eighty-one percent of Americans see whites and Asians as getting along well, while about two-thirds of Americans consider both white-black and white-Hispanic relations positive.

The issue has obvious importance this election year, with Barack Obama soon to become the nation's first black on the ballot as a major-party candidate for president. Obama had difficulty carrying the Hispanic vote in the Democratic primaries earlier this year -- something that led to considerable media speculation about black-Hispanic animosity as the cause -- but Gallup polling has shown him solidly beating Republican John McCain among Hispanics throughout the campaign.

Just focusing on Hispanic Democrats (who favored Hillary Clinton over Obama, 52% to 44% for the nomination in Gallup Poll Daily tracking throughout May), 84% in May said they would vote for Clinton in a Clinton vs. McCain matchup in November, compared with 80% who said they would vote for Obama if the choice were Obama vs. McCain.

Hispanics preferred Clinton over Obama for the Democratic nomination, but they were not so opposed to Obama (or the idea of electing a black president) that they were willing to vote for McCain in the general election.

Bottom Line

The generally positive review of black-Hispanic relations in Gallup polling among members of the two leading U.S. minority groups contrasts with considerable media speculation about the impact of Hispanic animosity toward blacks in this year's primary elections.

Some of that commentary has speculated that the trend is getting worse as the Hispanic population grows and starts to outnumber blacks in some neighborhoods and entire cities. Others posit that older Hispanics are more likely than the younger generation to harbor biases and resentments against blacks.

In a January 2008 New York Times article titled, "In Obama's Pursuit of Latinos, Race Plays Role," the authors write, "Mr. Obama confronts a history of often uneasy and competitive relations between blacks and Hispanics, particularly as they have jockeyed for influence in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. 'Many Latinos are not ready for a person of color,' Natasha Carrillo, 20, of East Los Angeles, said. 'I don't think many Latinos will vote for Obama. There's always been tension in the black and Latino communities. There's still that strong ethnic division. I helped organize citizenship drives, and those who I've talked to support Clinton.'"

While black-Hispanic animosity may exist and could even have been a factor in some state caucuses or primaries, the Gallup data indicates it is not overwhelmingly obvious to members of either group. Whites are much more likely to believe the two are in conflict.

This jives with what I've always thought about the issue. That the media exaggerates, and exaggerate it does profoundly. But the more interesting thing I found came from this part here:




If you look at each category, you'd see that each group perceives relations b/w the two other groups as poorer than those actual subject groups do. I found that interesting. Is it that the objective viewer sees something that the others may not want to admit to or that the third group has some sort of motive to exaggerate problems b/w other groups?

 

[sysyphus]

Ultimately I think it means that people of every ethnicity are quite capable of ignorance. The positive to be taken from the poll numbers is that such ignorami constitute a minority across all ethnic lines.

 

[Mise]

Doesn't this contrast with another poll about race relations recently? EDIT: No, nevermind, I read the %s wrong, I think

What do those %s mean in the table?

 

[Trajan12]

Doesn't this contrast with another poll about race relations recently?

Not that I know of. This is from June of this year. I don't think they've released any others this early. If so I'd appreciate seeing it.

 

[Perfection]

Well, if you asked me, I'd be like, "I got no friggin' clue".

 

[Mise]

Not that I know of. This is from June of this year. I don't think they've released any others this early. If so I'd appreciate seeing it.

I think there was a thread on CFC recently, where it said that blacks have a worse opinion than whites on how much racism there is in the US. I know it's not quite the same as "black-white relations", and now that I've looked at it a bit more, I think I've read the %s wrong...

 

[Zarn]

Wait, I have a problem with blacks, according to white people?

Only in the US...

 

[dwaxe]

I blame the couch potatoes.

 

[Narz]

Well, if you asked me, I'd be like, "I got no friggin' clue".

If only people had this type of honesty about things they don't know much about more often.

 

[TheLastOne36]

What thell hell is a Hispanic?

 

[Zarn]

What thell hell is a Hispanic?

I am a that. So is Downtown, I think. Maybe ansar...

 

[TheLastOne36]

I am a that. So is Downtown, I think. Maybe ansar...

is Hispanic some kind off form of latin american?

Well i'm that to. My mom's side is venezuelan.

 

[Narz]

What thell hell is a Hispanic?

Someone who has some native Latin American blood & speaks Spanish, I think. Not sure if pure whities from Mexico, Brazil, etc. consider themselves "Hispanic" or not. Maybe it's anyone from Latin America.

 

[TheLastOne36]

Someone who has some native Latin American blood & speaks Spanish, I think. Not sure if pure whities from Mexico, Brazil, etc. consider themselves "Hispanic" or not. Maybe it's anyone from Latin America.

I think the Proper term is "latin"?

 

[Trajan12]

What thell hell is a Hispanic?

Something that some Americans made up when they were either really bored or really stoned.

 

[Zarn]

Someone who has some native Latin American blood & speaks Spanish, I think. Not sure if pure whities from Mexico, Brazil, etc. consider themselves "Hispanic" or not. Maybe it's anyone from Latin America.

There is no need to speak Spanish, actually.

It is suppose to be people of mixed origin (with the bloodline running through Latin America), but the US government screws it up.

I know you are surprised that the US government is capable of mistakes. I'll give you a moment to calm down.

 

[El_Machinae]

I guess we tend to think that other races are doing worse than our own, since we tend to hear more of the 'bad stuff' about other races and we're constantly exposed to the good stuff in our own races.

 

[Narz]

There is no need to speak Spanish, actually.

It is suppose to be people of mixed origin (with the bloodline running through Latin America), but the US government screws it up.

Ok, thanks for the clarity.

I know you are surprised that the US government is capable of mistakes. I'll give you a moment to call down.

 

[downtown]

In America, one can be considered "Hispanic" if they, or one of their parents, comes from any latin-american country. A darker skin color or the ability to speak spanish is not necessary.

 

[Bamspeedy]

Not that I know of. This is from June of this year. I don't think they've released any others this early. If so I'd appreciate seeing it.

Not from Gallop, but the earlier thread was from New York Times/CBS.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=283492

Certainly a different 'spin' between the two polls/articles, as it depends on how one wants to interpret the results and exactly what and how the questions were asked.