For Black History Month, a look at what Black Americans say is needed to overcome racial inequality
Most Black adults (63%) say voting is an extremely or very effective strategy for Black progress; only 42% say the same of protesting.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Most Black adults (63%) say voting is an extremely or very effective strategy for Black progress; only 42% say the same of protesting.
Nearly six-in-ten want organizations working for Black progress to address the distinct challenges facing Black LGBTQ people. Black Americans are more likely to know someone who is transgender or nonbinary than to identify as such themselves.
76% of Black adults say they at least sometimes get news on TV, compared with 62% of both White and Hispanic adults and 52% of Asian adults.
In an August 2022 survey, 54% of Black adults said they had a very or somewhat negative impression of capitalism, up from 40% in May 2019.
Black Republicans tend to support individualistic approaches to addressing racial inequality, while Black Democrats back institutional approaches.
Black Americans support significant reforms to or complete overhauls of several U.S. institutions to ensure fair treatment. Yet even as they assess inequality and ideas about progress, many are pessimistic about whether society and institutions will change in ways that would reduce racism.
Today, 51% of U.S. adults say they support the Black Lives Matter movement – down from 67% in June 2020. A majority of Americans say the increased focus on race and racial inequality in the past three years hasn’t led to improvement for Black Americans.
68% of Black adults in the U.S. say they do not have enough income to lead the kind of life they want, but a majority are optimistic that they will one day.
Most Americans say Martin Luther King Jr. has had a positive impact on the country, with 47% saying he has had a very positive impact. 52% say the country has made a great deal or a fair amount of progress on racial equality in the past six decades.
Overall, 30% of U.S. adults say descendants of people enslaved in the U.S. should be repaid in some way. 68% say they should not be repaid.
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