Changing Attitudes toward Racial Discrimination

This is a rare: 45 years of survey results on the attitudes of blacks and whites toward racial discrimination. Harris has accomplished this rare achievement. By pulling 1969, 1972, and 2008 attitudinal data from its archives and updating them with a 2014 survey, we can see how much or how little things have changed.

Not surprisingly, on every issue—from how they are treated by police to the quality of the education they receive in public schools and the wages they are paid—blacks are more likely than whites to think blacks are discriminated against. The black-white attitudes gap existed in 1969 and it still exists today. When the 2014 survey asked whether blacks are discriminated against in getting full equality, 78 percent of blacks and only 41 percent of whites said yes. In 1969 the figures were 84 and 43 percent, respectively. When the 2014 survey asked whether blacks are discriminated against in the wages they are paid, 63 percent of blacks and only 25 percent of whites said yes. In 1969 the figures were 73 and 22 percent, respectively.

Clearly, blacks and whites do not see eye to eye on issues of racial discrimination. But when comparing results from 1969 with those from 2014 a bit of good news emerges: the attitudes gap is shrinking. In 1969, black and white attitudes were separated by an average of 44 percentage points. In 2014, black and white attitudes are separated by an average gap of 34 points. That's progress of a sort.

Here is an example of how attitudes have converged over the past 45 years. When asked whether blacks are discriminated against in the way they are treated as human beings, this is the percentage of blacks and whites who said "yes" in 2014 and 1969...

2014
Blacks: 71%
Whites: 39%
Difference: 32 percentage points

1969
Blacks: 77%
Whites: 35%
Difference: 42 percentage points

Source: Harris Interactive, Racial Discrimination: How Far Have We Come?