Americans' perception of discrimination against Black people dropped in last four years

Fox News

4 days ago

A new report shows that slightly less than half of U.S. adults believe that Black and Hispanic people face "a great deal" or "quite a bit" of discrimination in the United States.
According to the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, the number of people saying Asian people and Black people are experiencing discrimination has dropped since the last time the survey was conducted in April 2021. Four in 10 say that Black and Hispanic people face "quite a bit" or "a great deal" of discrimination. Three in 10 say the same about Asian people, and one in 10 say it about White people, according to the report.
The previous Associated Press-NORC poll was conducted a year after the death of George Floyd when protests occurred all across the country calling for an end to racial discrimination in police activities.
The last survey showed that 61% of U.S. adults said there was a great deal or quite a bit of discrimination against Black Americans.
The new survey also noted that while many groups experience discrimination, the report showed skepticism that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs are effective at mitigating discrimination.
"Many say DEI programs do not make a difference and roughly 3 in 10 think DEI initiatives increase discrimination against most racial and ethnic groups including White people. About a third feel DEI efforts are reducing discrimination against women, Hispanic people, and Asian people while 4 in 10 say the same about Black people," the report stated.
The Philadelphia Tribune interviewed Americans to get their reactions to the latest poll.
Claudine Brider, a 48-year-old Black Democrat in Compton, California, told the Tribune that "the concept of DEI has made the workplace difficult for Black people and women in new ways."
"Anytime they're in a space that they're not expected to be, like seeing a Black girl in an engineering course... they are seen as only getting there because of those factors," Brider said. "It's all negated by someone saying, 'You're only here to meet a quota.'"
Gilbert, Arizona resident Pete Parra said that "DEI is making things harder for racial minorities now." He worries about how his two adult Hispanic sons will be treated when they apply for work.
"I'm not saying automatically just give it to my sons," said Parra, who leans toward the Democratic Party. But he's concerned that now factors other than merit may take priority.
"If they get passed over for something," he said, "they're not going to know (why)."
Many proponents of DEI argue that the effort corrects historical injustices and systemic inequities. However, conservatives say that it promotes division instead, leading DEI initiatives to face opposition from conservative groups and state legislatures across the U.S.