POLL: Concern About Race Relations Has Doubled Since 2014

By Kenrya Rankin Apr 12, 2016

A new poll says that Americans are more worried about race relations than they have been in more than a decade.

Gallup surveyed 1,019 people nationwide and found that 35 percent of them are worried “a great deal” about race relations in America. The research organization says that number is the highest it has been since they first asked about it back in 2001, and it has doubled since 2014, when 17 prcent were concerned.

The increase comes at a time when the police-involved deaths of unarmed people of color and a contentious election season have put the topics of race and xenophobia into the daily news cycle.

When they broke the numbers down by race, researchers discovered that 53 percent of Blacks are concerned, versus 27 percent of Whites. In the period from 2012 to 2014, those numbers were 31 and 14 percent, respectively. When political ideologies are considered, 42 percent of liberals, 27 percent of moderates and 28 percent of conservatives worry “a great deal.”

Overall, however, race relations ranks low on the list of worries for those surveyed. Affordable healthcare, the economy and crime all ranked higher.