Poll details the very different views of Black and white Americans on race and police

White and Black Americans have very different views of race in America and have had very different experiences when it comes to dealing with discrimination and trusting police, a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll details.

Three-quarters of American adults also agree with the guilty verdict of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd, though about half of Republicans and Trump supporters think it was either the wrong decision or they aren't sure.

The survey also found a big gender gap on the threat of white supremacy. Americans are split on whether it represents the "most lethal terrorist threat to the homeland today," as President Joe Biden said recently. The majority of women said it is; the majority of men said it isn't.

The findings underscore the often-sharp differences Americans have when it comes to race, discrimination and policing ahead of the one-year anniversary of Floyd's death, and as Biden and allies make a push on Capitol Hill for policing reform.

But the pollsters also found some room for optimism in the results: The percentage of Americans saying race relations are worse than they were a year ago has declined; most Americans believe police use-of-force guidelines should be reformed; and a majority thinks race relations will be better for future generations, with younger people being among the most likely to say so.

"The country has gone through a lot in the last couple of years, and there is a sense of optimism for the future," said Barbara Carvalho, director of the Marist Poll, adding, "The change to the Biden administration has reinforced that for Democrats and people of color and independents."

The survey also found almost three-quarters of American adults say they have either gotten or will get a COVID-19 vaccine, unchanged from the previous month, though 4 in 10 Republicans continue to say they will not get one.

Live interviewers spoke with 1,249 adults from May 4-10, and the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. The sample included 1,075 registered voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points. There were 371 Democratic respondents with a plus or minus 6.1 percentage-point margin of error, 285 Republicans for a margin of error of plus or minus 7 percentage points and 374 independents for a margin of error of plus or minus 6.1 percentage points.

Race and trust in police

Just 30 percent of American adults said they have often or sometimes personally experienced discrimination or been treated unfairly because of their race or ethnicity.

But that is very different along racial and ethnic lines. Just 15 percent of whites said they have experienced discrimination or been treated unfairly based on their race, while 61 percent of Black Americans and 39 percent of Latinos said they have.

Republicans (91 percent) were far more likely than Democrats (62 percent) to say they have at least a fair amount of confidence in police officers in their communities to gain the trust of local residents.

That bipartisan trust doesn't extend to Black Americans. Just 46 percent of Black adults express at least a fair amount of confidence that local police can gain trust.

Sixty-one percent of Black Americans also said they think local police treats people of color more harshly than whites. Just a quarter of whites agreed. Latinos were split. Overall, 32 percent of adults said they thought people of color were treated more harshly than whites, but that is up 7 points since 2015, the last time the question was asked.

There have been numerous high-profile cases of police violence involving Black Americans, and multiple demonstrations bringing light to the issue.

Predictably, there was a huge divide on the question based on who someone voted for, as almost 6 in 10 Biden supporters said people of color are treated more harshly, while 8 in 10 Trump supporters said they're treated the same.

People had far more confidence in the police to keep them safe and protect them from violent crime. About three-quarters of respondents, including a strong majority of Black Americans, said so.

It is notable, however, that Black Americans and younger Americans were the least likely to agree with that.

Two-thirds of respondents said they believe current policies regarding police use of force need reform. But again there was a sharp divide along party lines — 92 percent of Democrats and 66 percent of independents said the policies should be reformed, but just 33 percent of Republicans thought so.

There was, however, near-universal support for police wearing body cameras.

When it came to the Chauvin verdict, three-quarters said it was the right decision, including half of Republicans. The other half of Republicans either thought it was the wrong decision (33 percent) or they weren't sure.

Let's talk (or not)

Almost 9 in 10 respondents said they are comfortable talking about race with friends and family, though only two-thirds said they actually have talks at least sometimes.

Whites were far less likely to say they have such discussions than Black Americans. But there was a big educational divide among whites, as whites with college degrees were far more likely to say they have those conversations than whites without them.

Those who live in small towns and white evangelical Christians were also far less likely to have those discussions than their big-city and suburban counterparts.

There was also a wide generation gap. Those in the Greatest Generation — people 74 years of age or older — were far less likely to say they have those conversations than millennials or those in Gen Z.

Notably, those groups all divide fairly cleanly along party lines. Whites with college degrees, African Americans, younger Americans and those who live in cities and suburbs are far more likely to identify as Democrats. Whites without degrees, those who live in small towns, white evangelical Christians and older Americans are strong parts of the Republican coalition.

Hopeful about race relations

For all the division, Americans are generally hopeful that race relations for future generations will be better than they are now. Almost 6 in 10 said so, with Democrats, whites with college degrees, younger and Black Americans the most likely to say so.

Republican men and Trump supporters were the most likely to say things would get worse, just as they were among the most likely to say things had gotten worse for race relations in the past year.

Overall, 42 percent said race relations in the country had gotten worse in the past year, 39 percent said they were about the same, and just 17 percent said things had gotten better. That 42 percent, though, is the lowest percentage to say that things have gotten worse in the past six years.

Looking at the last time the question was asked, in August 2017 when Donald Trump was president, far fewer Democrats, Black Americans and Latinos said things had gotten worse. Republicans, on the other hand, had spiked considerably.

A slim majority of Americans — 51 percent — said they approve of how Biden is handling race relations, including half of independents and 85 percent of Democrats. Just 14 percent of Republicans approve.

A third of Americans think race relations under Biden will get better, a third think they will stay the same, and about a third think they will get worse or aren't sure.

That's an improvement from Trump's early days, when a majority of Americans expected race relations to get worse.

Vaccines

The percentage of American adults saying they will get a COVID-19 vaccine (14 percent) or have already gotten one (59 percent) held steady at 73 percent this month.

There is a question, though, of whether the country has hit a plateau, as daily vaccinations continue to decline, and as a quarter of Americans continue to say they will not get vaccinated — a number that has held steady since March.

The least likely to say they will get vaccinated continue to be Trump supporters (43 percent) and Republicans (41 percent), particularly Republican men (44 percent). But a third of Americans under 45 also say they will not get the shot.

There is no real statistical difference in hesitancy between white and Black Americans — 73 percent of whites say they've either gotten the vaccine or will get it; 75 percent of Black Americans said the same (69 percent of Latinos also said so).

Americans are overwhelmingly supportive of providing doses of vaccines to other countries that need it — 84 percent said it's a good idea.

The job Biden is doing

Biden continues to get good marks on handling the virus. He gets a 66 percent approval rating for it in this poll, including from a third of Republicans.

For the overall job he's doing, the president retains a 53 percent approval rating, about the same as last month.

When it comes to the economy, it's a similar 51 percent approval rating, three points lower than last month. That's something to watch, but it's still within the margin of error of the 54 percent he got last month and the same as his rating in late March.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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