Thursday, October 16, 2014

The Ferguson Effect

The attitudes of Americans toward the treatment of Blacks by the criminal justice system is changing, in part due to public outrage over the police shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The majority of Americans no longer believe Blacks and Whites are treated equally by the criminal justice system.

The percentage of Americans who disagree with the statement, "Blacks and other minorities receive equal treatment as whites in the criminal justice system," climbed from 47 to 56 percent between 2013 and 2014. Even Whites are changing their mind. The percentage of Whites who disagree that Blacks and Whites are treated equally grew from 42 to 51 percent.

Source: Public Religion Research Institute, Economic Insecurity, Rising Inequality, and Doubts about the Future: Findings from the 2014 American Values Survey

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