Poll shows prejudice against blacks and Latinos
By Griselda Nevarez
From VOXXI
Many believed that the election of President Barack Obama would help close the racial divide between African-Americans and white Americans.
But a recent Associated Press poll shows the share of Americans who express racial prejudice against blacks has slightly increased since 2008 when the United States elected its first black president.
The poll shows that when respondents were explicitly questioned about their racist attitudes, 51 percent of Americans expressed an anti-black sentiment. That’s up from 48 percent in a similar survey conducted in 2008.
The number of Americans who expressed an anti-black sentiment was higher when respondents were administered a survey that measured their implicit views toward race without directly asking them about the topic. In that implicit test, 56 percent of Americans expressed negative attitudes toward blacks compared to 49 percent in 2008.
Andra Gillespie, an Emory University political scientist who studies race-neutrality among black politicians, told VOXXI it is disheartening to see a rise in the negative attitudes that Americans have toward blacks.
“This is happening four years into the presidency of a black president,” Gillespie said. “One would have figured and hoped that by now more people would’ve put aside some of their prejudice.”
Anti-Hispanic attitudes are also up
The AP poll also shows a jump in racial prejudice against Hispanics. It revealed that 57 percent of respondents who were implicitly asked about their views on race expressed anti-Hispanic attitudes. That’s up from 52 percent found in a survey conducted by AP just last year.
Alex Nogales, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, told VOXXI the increase in Americans who expressed an anti-Hispanic sentiment didn’t surprise him.
Nogales said the amount of prejudice against Latinos is “at an all time high” and pointed to a survey his organization released in September. It shows the media portrays Latinos as being uneducated and undocumented.
“I haven’t seen this kind of stuff since I was a kid when we would see signs that said no dogs and Mexicans allowed,” Nogales said of the negative attitudes toward Hispanics.
He attributes the growing prejudice to recent immigration legislations that he said target Latinos. He said laws like Arizona’s SB 1070 are passed “under the guides of immigration control but they go far beyond that.”
Obama is cautious about addressing issue of race
The AP survey doesn’t give any reasons for the lack of progress in racial attitudes toward blacks and Hispanics. But some scholars, including Gillespie, attribute it to a growing racial polarization and the lack of a national discussion to address it.
While many African-Americans have been outspoken about the increasing prejudice against them since Obama took office, the president has been cautious about touching the subject.
Even during his bid for president in 2008, Obama centered his campaign strategy around deracialization, meaning that he diverted attention from racial issues and chose instead to focus on issues that have a broad appeal. The same has occurred during much of his presidency.
And with the elections creeping up, the AP survey found that the increasing prejudice against blacks could cost Obama 5 percentage points off his share of votes as he vies for re-election against Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
At the same time, Obama could benefit from a 3 percent gain from voters due to the pro-black attitudes. That would bring the net loss of 2 percentage points due to the prejudice still seen toward blacks.
Gillespie believes that while the increasing anti-black sentiment is concerning, the good news is that certain attitudes and stereotypes of blacks have diminished over time.
However, she said it would be helpful to hold discussions about race and educate people about the invalidity of stereotypes of blacks that still exist. She added that government officials could also play a role by doing away with policies and laws that seek to disadvantage minorities.
