More than a century and a half since slavery was abolished in the United States a majority of Americans believe the legacy of slavery continues to have a negative impact on black people’s lives, according to a new survey.

More than four-in-ten Americans say their country hasn’t made enough progress toward racial equality, and there is scepticism, particularly among blacks, that black people will ever have equal rights with whites, the survey by the Washington-based Pew Research Center found.

It found opinions about the current state of race relations – and President Donald Trump’s handling of the issue – are also negative.

About sixty per cent of Americans say race relations in the US are bad, and of those, few see them improving.

About 56 per cent think President Trump has made race relations worse; just 15 per cent say he has improved race relations and another 13 per cent say he has tried but failed to make progress on this issue.

About two-thirds say it’s become more common for people to express racist views since Mr Trump became president.

Blacks are particularly pessimistic about the country’s racial progress. More than eight-in-ten black adults say the legacy of slavery affects the position of black people in America today, including 59 per cent who say it affects it a great deal.

Seventy-eight per cent of blacks say the country hasn’t gone far enough when it comes to giving black people equal rights with whites, and half say it’s unlikely that the country will eventually achieve racial equality.

A majority of all adults (56 per cent) say being black hurts people’s ability to get ahead at least a little, and 51 per cent say the same about being Hispanic.

In contrast, 59 per cent say being white helps people’s ability to get ahead. Views about the impact of being Asian or Native American are more mixed.

The survey found Blacks, Hispanics and Asians are more likely than whites to say being white helps people’s ability to get ahead at least a little.

Among whites, those who are more educated, as well as those who identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, are particularly likely to see advantages to being white, the Pew Center found.

The survey of 6,637 adults was conducted online across America in January and February.

It asked about the state of race relations and racial inequality in America and also about personal experiences of racial and ethnic discrimination as well as the role race plays in people’s lives.

Among the report’s key findings were that “most Americans (65 per cent) – including majorities across racial and ethnic groups – say it has become more common for people to express racist or racially insensitive views since Trump was elected president”.

“A smaller but substantial share (45 per cent) say this has become more acceptable,” the survey found.

It also found that “democrats and those who lean Democratic are more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners to say it has become more common and more acceptable for people to express racist and racially insensitive views since Trump was elected president”.

“Among Democrats, 84 per cent say this is now more common and 64 per cent say it’s more acceptable; fewer than half of Republicans say it has become more common (42 per cent) and just 22 per cent say it has become more acceptable for people to express these types of views,” the survey report said.

It said a majority of Americans (56 per cent) say “Trump has made race relations worse; just 15 per cent say he has made progress toward improving race relations, while 13 per cent say he has tried but failed to make progress and 14 per cent say he hasn’t addressed this issue”.

“In contrast, 37 per cent say Barack Obama made progress on race relations when he was president, and 27 per cent say he tried but failed. A quarter of Americans say Obama made race relations worse,” the report said.

It said these retrospective views of Obama’s handling of race relations are nearly identical to views expressed during President Obama’s last year in office.

The survey found that Republicans and Democrats have vastly different views on race.

“In addition to being linked to views of Trump’s handling of race relations, partisanship is strongly associated with racial attitudes more broadly. In fact, after controlling for other factors, partisanship has a greater association with views about the country’s racial progress than demographic factors, though being young and more educated are also significant predictors, particularly among whites,” the report said.

It found eight-in-ten white Democrats as opposed to just 40 per cent of white Republicans – say the legacy of slavery continues to have an impact on black people’s position in American society today.

And when it comes to views about racial discrimination, 78 per cent of white Democrats say the bigger problem is people not seeing it where it really does exist, while a similar share of white Republicans say people seeing racial discrimination where it really does not exist is the bigger problem.

The survey found Blacks were more likely than other groups to say their race has had a negative impact on their ability to get ahead; whites are the most likely to say their race helped them.

About half of black adults (52 per cent) say being black has hurt their ability to get ahead at least a little, with 18 per cent saying it has hurt a lot, the survey found.

About a quarter of Hispanics and Asians (24 per cent each) and just 5 per cent of whites say their race or ethnicity has had a negative impact. In turn, whites are more likely than other groups to say their racial background has helped them at least a little.

The survey found about two-thirds of blacks (68 per cent) say being black generally hurts a person’s ability to get ahead in the country; 55 per cent of whites say the same.

Among those who say being black hurts a person’s ability to get ahead, blacks are far more likely than whites to point to racial discrimination, less access to high-paying jobs and less access to good schools as major reasons why this is the case, the report said.

In turn, whites are more likely than blacks to point to family instability and lack of good role models as major obstacles for black people, it said.

The report found wide partisan gaps in these views. Most white Democrats who say being black hurts a person’s ability to succeed point to racial discrimination (70 per cent) and less access to good schools (75 per cent) or high-paying jobs (64 per cent).

In contrast, about a third or fewer white Republicans say these are major obstacles for blacks. White Republicans are more likely than white Democrats to cite family instability, lack of good role models and a lack of motivation to work hard.

The survey found a majority of black and white adults say blacks are treated less fairly than whites in dealing with police and by the criminal justice system.

“Majorities of both groups say blacks are treated less fairly than whites by the criminal justice system (87 per cent of blacks vs. 61 per cent of whites) and in dealing with police (84 per cent vs. 63 per cent, respectively),” the survey report said.

About six-in-ten blacks or more – but fewer than half of whites – say blacks are treated less fairly than whites in hiring, pay and promotions; when applying for a loan or mortgage; in stores or restaurants; when voting in elections; and when seeking medical treatment.

The survey also found majorities of Blacks, Hispanics and Asians say they have experienced discrimination because of their race or ethnicity.

About three-quarters of blacks (76 per cent) and Asians (75 per cent) – and 58 per cent of Hispanics – say they have experienced discrimination or have been treated unfairly because of their race or ethnicity at least from time to time.

In contrast, about two-thirds of whites (67 per cent) say they’ve never experienced this, the Pew Center survey found.

Laurie Nowell 
AMES Australia Senior Journalist