White People Don’t See Insitutional Racism

The latest Pew Research Centre survey shows that white people do not recognise institutional racism as the main cause of racial inequalities. Instead, they focus on individual prejudice, family, and lack of role models. White people are also half as likely to say Black people are treated unfairly at work and by police.

The Pew Centre finds that one in six Black people (61%) see race relations in the USA as bad, while less than half of white people (45%) agree.

Forty-four precent (44%) of Black people say that focusing on the unique experiences of racial and ethnic groups would improve race relations, while only 26% of white agree. Instead, most white people think that focusing on what groups have in common (57%) is the way to improve race relations (compared to 45% of Black people).

Slider graph showing 44% of Black people think focusing on differences is more important to race relations, vs 26% of white people

Slider graph showing 57% of white people think focusing on similarities is more important to race relations, than 45% of Black people

White people are twice as likely (41%) as Black people (22%) to say that too much attention is paid to race and racial issues.

Black people are four times as likely (43%) as white people (11%) to say that the USA will not make the changes necessary to give Black people equal rights.

Two-thirds of Black people say they strongly (41%) or somewhat (24%) support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Four-in-ten white people say they at least somewhat support it. Political affiliation increases this level of support, with two-thirds of both white and Black Democrats supportive, while only two-in-ten white Republicans support BLM.

The majority of Black Americans (70%) say that racial discrimination is a major reason why Black people have a harder time getting ahead than white people, but only one-third of white people (36%) say the same.

Slider graph showing white and Black people's responses, broken down by gender, age, education, and political affiliation. It shows 36% of white peple vs 70% of Black people think racial discrimiantion is a major reason why Black people in the USA may have a harder time getting ahead than white people — Source: Pew Research Centre

Twice as many Black Americans (40%) say that institutional racism is the biggest problem impacting discrimination of Black people, compared to white people (19%).

Slider graph showing white and Black people's responses, broken down by gender, age, education, and political affiliation. It shows 19% of white people and 40% of Black people think discrimination built into laws and institutions is the major reason for discrimination against Black people in the USA today — Source: Pew Research Centre

Conversely, the majority of white people (70%) blame individual prejudice, compared to half of Black people (48%).

Slider graph showing 70% of white people say that individual prejudice is the main cause of discrimination against Black people, in comparison to 48%

Black people overwhelmingly see lower-quality schools (75%), discrimination (70%), and lack of jobs (66%) as the major reasons for why Blacks people have a harder time getting ahead than white people.

The majority of white people say that family instability (55%) and lack of good role models (52%) are the biggest problems facing Black communities. Only 45% said that a lack of jobs hold Black people back.

Two-thirds of Black people (64%) say Black people are treated unfairly at work, while less than a quarter of white people agree (22%). The majority of Black people (84%) say police treat Black people unfairly, while only 50% of white people agree. Finally, twice as many Black people (43%) say that Black people are treated unfairly in elections, compared to white people (20%).