NPR: Poll: Race Relations Will (Hopefully) Improve

Poll: Race Relations Will (Hopefully) Improve

Do you believe race relations will improve?

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In the wake of Barack Obama's historic Democratic nomination, a USA Today/Gallup Poll found that most citizens now have raised expectations when it comes to race relations in America.

The survey underscores the unusual stakes in this election even though neither Democrat Obama nor Republican John McCain has sought to cast their contest as a matter of racial politics but rather one of different prescriptions for the nation.

"Much of the Obama campaign has been fueled by hope that if he is successful he could address the most divisive issue in American politics, which is the issue of race," says political scientist Vincent Hutchings of the University of Michigan, but he says blacks and whites have conflicting perspectives on what that means.

Here are a few statistical highlights from the poll:

* A majority of blacks, whites and Hispanics say Obama's election would make race relations better. Blacks are most optimistic: 23% say it would make relations "a lot better," compared to 13% of whites.

* A majority of whites and Hispanics and 45% of blacks say Obama's defeat wouldn't affect race relations, but 18% of blacks predict a loss would make race relations "a lot worse;" just 6% of whites agree.

* By overwhelming margins, those surveyed say Obama's election would open up opportunities for other African Americans in national politics.

What's your opinion on race relations? Do you see them improving under a President Obama administration? Weigh in below!

Geoffrey Gardner

5:49 PM ET | 07-14-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

poll me, poll me not, poll me, poll me not...how many petals are left on this withered flower or is it a willow tree weeping for the things they all fail to see...

this may sound like a scratched record but how is it that a half white, half kenyan that is being racially demarcated to african of the americas is suppose to improve race and race relations simply by running for a political office. How many folks of African descendant have participated in political office before and after 1865? Did those folks presence cease lynchings, jim crow practices and/or institutional racism either overt or klan-destine [emphasis added]?

History please history: The economic, European-descadant elite have yet to apologise for the systemic, overt genocide against the native americans, the systemic enslavement and genocide of Africans [along with their British cousins whom they assume the nefarious act of slavery from at their war of liberation] and/or the neo-colonialist subjugations of the peoples of the Phillipines, Hawaiian, No. Mariana and Puerto Rico islands. The governance did attempt a formal apology of sorts to the Issei and Nisei and some Aleuts intermed during world war two; but this was way late and after two additional wars to boot. Did VietNam, Lao's People's Democratic Republic and Cambodia ever received formal apologies? I digress.

The point is that the nation's governance is way over due in its racial healing homework and has basically failed the course. No person of colour be they one quarter, one third, one half or one hundred percent can effect a change in the systemic denial of white priviledge and the basic debt long past due of their problem in that regard.

These folks from gallup and today usa would have served themselves and their time better running the clob stones at the fete at San Fermin since they are clearly in the right church just the wrong pew.

Sent by K MJUMBE | 1:16 AM ET | 07-15-2008

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