---
title: "Blacks Feel More Optimistic"
description: "Fully 62% of non-Hispanic blacks now believe that Americans can always solve problems; in 2007 only 41% shared that confidence. "
date: "2009-06-01"
authors:
  - name: "Russell Heimlich"
    job_title: "Former web developer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2009/06/01/blacks-feel-more-optimistic/"
---

# Blacks Feel More Optimistic

Even as attitudes about personal finances have turned more negative, views of the ability of Americans to solve problems have become substantially more optimistic — especiallyamong African Americans. Fully 62% of non-Hispanic blacks now say they believe that “as Americans we can always find a way to solve our problems and get what we want;” in 2007, just 41% of blacks said that Americans could solve problems — among the lowest measures ever in a Pew Research values survey.Whites also express more confidence now, but the change has been more modest (60% of non-Hispanic whites agreed in 2007, 70% today).[Read More](https://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/1229/political-values-core-attitudes-trends-2009)