According to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, a majority of Americans support Arizona's recent immigration law even while they think it will lead to more racial profiling. Moreover, a majority also thinks that the federal government must do more to protect the border and think illegal immigration is a serious problem. Unsurprisingly, the public is divided about what to do with the illegal immigrants already in the country. A recent USA Today/Gallup Poll finds a similarly conflicted public.
None of this should be terribly surprising. Public sentiment appears to mirror long-standing public debates on this issue. Even the first point -- support for the law in the face of the risk of racial profiling -- is easily explained. This is the classic "tyranny of the majority" danger lurking in democratic societies. I get that.
Far more important is the fallout of the law for the major political parties, both short and long term.
What to do, what to do . . .
Showing posts with label racial divide in public opinion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label racial divide in public opinion. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Monday, November 2, 2009
Why Are Black Americans So Satisfied with the Direction of the Country?
Gallup is reporting that black Americans, particularly blacks who identify as Democrats are the most satisfied demographic group with the direction of the country. 51% of black Democrats reported being satisfied with the direction of the country. By contrast, only 38% of white Democrats reported being satisfied with the direction of the country. The question is why are black Democrats so optimistic, in contrast with whites and Republicans?
Princeton political scientist Melissa Harris-Lacewell points out that there has long been a racial divide in the public opinion of blacks and whites. This divide track a racial divide in partisan identification. For example, the Gallup poll found that more than 8 out of 10 blacks identified with the Democratic Party. But as Lydia Saad from Gallup reported, the differing perception of the direction of the country is not colored only partisan lens but also by race. So what accounts for this?
There is very little doubt that black Americans have been hit the hardest by the recession (see for example this article). I suppose the optimism of African Americans reflect both their support of President Obama and the hope that his policies will have a disproportionately positive impact on the lives of black americans.
Princeton political scientist Melissa Harris-Lacewell points out that there has long been a racial divide in the public opinion of blacks and whites. This divide track a racial divide in partisan identification. For example, the Gallup poll found that more than 8 out of 10 blacks identified with the Democratic Party. But as Lydia Saad from Gallup reported, the differing perception of the direction of the country is not colored only partisan lens but also by race. So what accounts for this?
There is very little doubt that black Americans have been hit the hardest by the recession (see for example this article). I suppose the optimism of African Americans reflect both their support of President Obama and the hope that his policies will have a disproportionately positive impact on the lives of black americans.
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