Over three-fourths of Black Americans believe racial minorities are under attack in the U.S., according to a recent Winthrop University survey.
The latest Winthrop poll, released earlier this month, asked residents in 11 southern states about their attitudes toward race, politics and religion, among other things. The extensive survey revealed both Blacks’ and whites’ general uneasiness about their safety and stature within the country, with 46 percent of white southerners agreeing or strongly agreeing that white people are under attack.
Another 30 percent of all respondents agreed when asked if America should protect and preserve its White European heritage. More than half disagreed or strongly disagreed with that sentiment, however.
When it came to the issue of Confederate monuments, 40 percent of Southerners agreed that memorials honoring Confederate war heroes should be left just as they are, while 24 percent of those surveyed said a of plaque should be added for context. Half of African–American respondents felt that such memorials belong in a museum, and a fourth said they should be removed altogether.
Winthrop respondents were also asked about the economy and economic opportunity. Over 54 percent of those polled said they felt economic conditions in the U.S. were progressing as a whole, although 63 percent of Black Americans said they were actually getting worse. Southerners also pegged racism as the number one issue facing the country. The poll found that Black Americans were more than twice as likely to list racism as the top issue, followed by President Donald Trump.
Lastly, while 61 percent of white respondents agreed that everyone in the U.S. has equal opportunity as long as they work hard, over 60 percent of Blacks said no. African-American Southerners also felt that generations of slavery and discrimination makes it more difficult for Blacks to work their way out of poverty.
Winthrop researchers polled 830 residents in in 11 southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia) via landlines and cell phones between Oct. 22 and Nov. 5.
To read the full report, click here.
