Fewer Americans think Obama has advanced race relations, poll shows
By Jennifer Agiesta and Jon Cohen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 18, 2010
Soaring expectations about the effect of the first black president on U.S. race relations have collided with a more mundane reality, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
On the eve of President Obama’s inauguration a year ago, nearly six in 10 Americans said his presidency would advance cross-racial ties. Now, about four in 10 say it has done so.
The falloff has been highest among African Americans. Last January, three-quarters of blacks said they expected Obama’s presidency to help. In the new poll, 51 percent of African Americans say he has helped, a wider gap between expectations and performance than among whites.
Although most of all those polled view Obama’s election as a mark of progress for all African Americans, three in 10 say it is not indicative of broader change. About two-thirds see Obama’s election as a sign of progress for all blacks in the United States, a figure unchanged from last year, but about half say his time in office has not made much difference in race relations. One in eight say it has hurt relations.
via Fewer Americans think Obama has advanced race relations, poll shows – washingtonpost.com.
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