Quote of note:

As one researcher observed, there is a sense of optimism in the responses, but also evidence of a continuing gulf between perceptions and realities about continuing discrimination and racism. Almost half of black respondents said they had experienced some form of discrimination in the month preceding the poll, while three-quarters of whites think blacks are treated "very fairly" or "somewhat fairly." While 61 percent of whites believe that blacks have equal job opportunities, just 12 percent of African-Americans concur -- a difference of opinion influenced, no doubt, by differences in economic status. Nationally, the median white household income is $55,318, compared with $35,500 among blacks and $40,000 among Hispanics.

Editorial: Racial attitudes/Poll signals hopeful changes
July 6, 2004

Race relations in America still need work but show signs of positive change. A majority of people in this nation say that working and living with people of other races is ideal -- even to the point of welcoming them into their own families.

That's a significant change compared with a generation or two ago and represents a welcome attitude shift. But there are also indications that many Americans are better at talking the racial acceptance talk than walking the walk.

Today, a slim majority -- 55 percent -- thinks that the state of race relations is either very or somewhat good and agrees with affirmative action, according to a telephone survey of 2,000 whites, African-Americans and Latinos conducted late last year by Gallup for AARP and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR). Results were released in connection with the 50th anniversary of the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education school desegregation case.

Significant progress has been made in two crucial areas: interracial relationships and where we live. About 70 percent of whites now say they approve of marriage between whites and blacks, up from just 4 percent in a 1958 Gallup poll. That open-mindedness extends across racial lines: 80 percent of blacks and 77 percent of Hispanics also said they generally approve of interracial couples.

On that particular issue, Minnesotans could be somewhat ahead of the national curve. Census data from both 1990 and 2000 show that this state has higher percentages of mixed marriages and mixed-race children than many other parts of the country.

Another indicator of changing attitudes is that a majority of white respondents (66 percent) said they would not object if their own child or grandchild chose a black spouse. Again, blacks (86 percent) and Hispanics (79 percent) were even more open to interracial possibilities. And when it comes to choosing neighbors, an inclusive, diversity-friendly spirit again prevails: Majorities among all groups said they would rather live in racially mixed neighborhoods than surround themselves with only members of their own group.

Yet, despite those encouraging signs, divisions between the races persist. While many say they want to be in integrated environments, core-city schools and some neighborhoods have become more segregated.