POLL: Majority Of Voters Say American Society Is Racist

Clay Robinson | July 21, 2020
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A new poll out from the Wall Street Journal and NBC News shows that 56 percent of voters think that American society is racist and that black, Hispanic Americans are discriminated against.

Americans across the race and age spectrum are increasingly concerned about racial discrimination, almost two months after the death of George Floyd. 

Over 70 percent of Americans believe race relations are "very" or "fairly bad," a 16-point jump from February. Since Floyd’s death, support for Black Lives Matter, taking down Confederate statues, and kneeling for the national anthem at professional sporting events has garnered increased support from the public. 

There is also a sharp contrast on race relations according to party lines, with 82 percent of Democrats who agree that American society is racist while only 30 percent of Republicans share a similar sentiment. Forty-five percent of Independents also agree.

On the issue of race, only 33 percent of voters approve of Trump’s handling of race relations. The poll also says half of Americans feel that it has become more acceptable for people to express racist sentiments since Trump has been in office. The President’s sliding poll numbers caused a leadership shakeup within his campaign; campaign manager Brad Parscale was demoted and replaced by Bill Stepien. 

While over 70 percent of voters were encouraged by the initiative to address issues of systemic racism, half were concerned the protests were moving too fast by removing significant historical figures and erasing American history.

The poll surveyed 900 registered voters from July 9-12 with a margin of error of +/- 3.27 percentage points.

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