Story Highlights
- 28% in U.S. satisfied with state of race relations, up from 23% in 2021
- Satisfaction with position of racial minority groups up five points to 40%
- Satisfaction rises among people of color while steady among White adults
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans' satisfaction with race-related matters in the U.S. has improved slightly over the past year, although their views remain subdued relative to the past.
Forty percent of all U.S. adults are now satisfied with the position of Black people and other racial minority groups, as a whole, and 28% are satisfied with the state of race relations. Both figures have increased five percentage points since January 2021, when they were at or near their all-time lows in Â鶹´«Ã½AV's trend. Still, more than half (53%) are dissatisfied with the position of racial minority groups, and two-thirds (68%) are dissatisfied with the state of race relations.
The highs in satisfaction with each aspect of the nation were recorded between 2002 and 2014. Satisfaction plunged after that, in January 2015, amid national attention to the killing of unarmed Black people in encounters with police. Today's assessments are on par with attitudes in 2018 and 2019.
Line graph. Trend from 2001 to 2022 in percentage of Americans who are satisfied with the state of race relations and, separately, with the position of Black people and other racial minority groups in the nation. Satisfaction with race relations was not asked from 2009 to 2011, and satisfaction with the position of Black people and other racial minority groups was not asked from 2009 to 2015. Satisfaction with race relations remained high from 2012 to 2014, but then tumbled to 30% by January 2015 and has since varied from 22% to 36%. It is 28% in January 2022. Satisfaction with the position of Black people and other racial minority groups has been below 50% since 2016, including 40% today.
Since 2001, Â鶹´«Ã½AV has frequently asked Americans to rate their level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the state of race relations and the position of Black people and other racial minority groups, along with numerous other aspects of the country. The question is part of Â鶹´«Ã½AV's Mood of the Nation poll, which was conducted each January from 2001 to 2008 and again from 2012 to 2022.
Satisfaction Low Among White Adults and People of Color
Â鶹´«Ã½AV is not able to report the views of Black and Hispanic Americans, specifically, from the current poll due to their lower sample sizes in the national survey of 811 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 3-16. Thus, for this analysis, the views of all minority groups are combined in a "people of color" category, whose views can be compared with those of non-Hispanic White adults, also referred to as White adults in this report.
Satisfaction with U.S. race relations and the position of Black people and other racial minority groups in the nation is fairly low today among people of color and White adults alike. But people of color express greater satisfaction this year with both aspects of race, improving from their record lows in January 2021. Meanwhile, attitudes among White adults have been flat.
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39% of both racial groups today are satisfied with the position of Black people and other racial minority groups.
- This represents a 13-percentage-point increase in satisfaction among people of color versus no change among White adults.
Line graph. Trend from 2001 to 2022 in percentages of people of color and White adults who are satisfied with the position of Black people and other racial minority groups. Data for 2009 to 2015 are missing because the question wasn't asked. From 2001 to 2008, satisfaction among people of color varied between 37% and 47%. Since 2016, it has varied between 26% and 42%. From 2001 to 2008, satisfaction among White adults varied between 57% and 62%. Since 2016, it has varied between 34% and 50%. The figure is 39% among both racial groups in 2022.
- A third of people of color (32%) versus a quarter of White adults (26%) are satisfied with the state of race relations.
- This also represents an improved view among people of color, with the percentage satisfied up 10 points, versus essentially no change among White adults.
Line graph. Trend from 2001 to 2022 in percentages of people of color and White adults who are satisfied with the state of race relations. Data for 2009 to 2011 are missing because the question wasn't asked. From 2001 to 2008, satisfaction among people of color varied between 35% and 44%. It remained above 40% from 2012 to 2014 before falling to 33% in 2015. It has since remained at or below that level in most years. From 2001 to 2008, satisfaction among White adults varied between 46% and 57%. It remained high from 2012 to 2014 before falling to 29% in 2015 and has subsequently ranged from 19% to 35%.
Republicans' Satisfaction Exceeds Democrats' and Independents'
Republicans are more than twice as likely as Democrats to be satisfied with racial matters, although fewer in both groups are satisfied with the state of race relations than with the position of Black people and other racial minority groups.
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35% of Republicans versus 16% of Democrats are satisfied with the state of race relations in the country, little changed from January 2021.
Line graph. Trend from 2001 to 2022 in percentages of Democrats, independents and Republicans who are satisfied with the state of race relations. Data for 2009 to 2011 are missing because the question wasn't asked. From 2001 to 2008, satisfaction among all three party groups was mostly above 40%, with significantly higher satisfaction among Republicans than Democrats and independents. Satisfaction remained above 40% among all groups from 2012 to 2014, with Democrats satisfaction peaking at 58% in 2014. After that, it fell to 32% or less among all groups. It has remained at about that level among independents, including 31% today. It sank further among Democrats and is now at 16%. Republicans satisfaction rose to 40% or higher from 2017 to 2020 and is now 35%.
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At the same time, 58% of Republicans versus 25% of Democrats are satisfied with the position of Black people and other racial minority groups. Democrats' satisfaction on this is up from 18% a year ago.
Line graph. Trend from 2001 to 2022 in percentages of Democrats, independents and Republicans who are satisfied with the position of Black people and other racial minority groups. Data for 2009 to 2015 are missing because the question wasn't asked. From 2001 to 2008, satisfaction among Democrats varied between 38% and 53%. Since 2016, it has been lower, falling from 34% that year to 18% in 2021 and is 25% today. Satisfaction among independents was 50% or higher from 2001 to 2008 but since 2016 has varied between 33% and 45%. From 2001 to 2008, satisfaction among Republicans was 63% or higher, reaching 72% in 2008. It was lower in 2016 and 2017 but rose again to 60% in 2018 and has since remained high.
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31% of political independents are now satisfied with race relations, and 38% are satisfied with the position of people in racial minority groups. Independents' satisfaction with both aspects of society is up slightly from last year.
Bottom Line
As the nation celebrates Black History Month, Â鶹´«Ã½AV finds Americans viewing race-related aspects of society in slightly better terms than they did a year ago. It's not clear whether this is because people perceive that policies or cultural norms are changing in a positive direction, or because of the shift in presidential leadership since last January. President Joe Biden's approval rating for his handling of race relations isn't extraordinarily high, but, at 45% last August, it was higher than former President Donald Trump's 34% to 38% ratings on race throughout his presidency.
Numerically, the improved national figures are explained by modest increases in satisfaction among people of color as well as among Democrats and political independents. None of these groups is satisfied, outright, with the state of race relations or the way Black people and other racial minority groups are treated; but their outlooks have partly recovered from the lows recorded a year ago, and that could be the start of a positive trend.
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