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Two-thirds say Barack Obama tried to make race relations better

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Google Oneindia News

Washington, June 28: Almost eight years after electing a black president, vast majorities of blacks and Hispanics think President Barack Obama at least tried to make race relations in the United States better, according to a poll released today.

But only about half of whites think Obama made race relations better or at least tried to make race relations better but failed. Almost a third of whites said the president "made race relations worse."

Obama tried to better race relations

The Pew Research Center report also suggested there is still a stark difference in attitudes about race relations among racial and ethnic groups.

For example, whites were split on the status of race relations, with 46 percent saying they are generally good overall and 45 percent saying they are generally bad.

But blacks were less optimistic, with 61 per cent saying that race relations are bad and 34 percent saying that they are good. Many people had hope that Obama's historic election would bring about better race relations, said Juliana Horowitz, a Pew associate director who helped craft the poll.

62 per cent of Americans said the president himself made race relations better or at least tried to make race relations better, but a full 25 per cent said he made things worse.

The poll did not ask for specifics in how Obama made race relations better or worse. Racial divisions can be clearly seen in the responses. Vast majorities of blacks and Hispanics 85 per cent for blacks and 74 per cent for Republicans said Obama had made race relations better or tried to make race relations better.

Only about half of whites 52 per cent said he made things better or tried to make things better but failed. But a full third, or 32 per cent, said the president has made things worse.

A majority of blacks 65 per cent expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement, with 41 per cent saying they strongly support it and 24 per cent saying they support it somewhat. About 1 in 10 blacks 12 per cent say they oppose the Black Lives Matter movement.

Among whites, 4 in 10 say they strongly or somewhat support the Black Lives Matter movement, with 14 per cent saying they strongly support it.

A majority of African-Americans 71 per cent said they had personally experienced discrimination or been treated unfairly because of their race or ethnicity, with fewer than 1 in 10 saying it happens to them on a regular basis.

Almost a third of white adults 30 per cent said they had been discriminated against because of their skin color or ethnicity but only 2 percent said it happens to them on a regular basis.

PTI

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