Public Policy Forum race relations survey

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For more info= rmation: &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; For immediate release

Jeffrey C. Browne

President

Public Policy Forum

414-276-8240

Race relations survey finds progre= ss being made in region

Clear signs show blacks, whites, and Latinos are more accepting of = each other

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin – Friday, December 1, 2006 – A Public Policy Forum survey of 1,000 = residents throughout southeastern Wisco= nsin about race relations found clear signs of improvement in how blacks, whites, and Latinos interact with and view each other.

“There is no question= that the region still has problems when it comes to race relations, but our comprehensive survey shows definite signs of improvement, especially when compared with the results of a similar survey 15 years ago,” says For= um President Jeff Browne. “= ;And that bodes well for the region’s future because poor race relations c= an be a barrier to prosperity and impede progress.”

For example, 24% of survey respondents said race relations are getting worse, compared to 54% in 1991. Fifteen years ago, 33% = of whites and 43% of blacks approved of interracial marriage. Today, almost 80% of both groups a= re comfortable with it, according to the Forum’s survey.

Several significant signs f= rom the survey that race relations are improving include:

Families, particularly those of color, are far mo= re likely to report that their lives are improving rather than getting wo= rse;

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Younger people report more positive attitudes abo= ut people of other races than older people do. The majority of people, espec= ially whites, report they have more positive feelings about people of other races than their parents did or do;

Improved race relations are almost universally perceived throughout the region as very important to the region’s future;

Both whites and blacks report being comfortable conversing with each other, working with each other, and being close friends with one another, and report having done so;

More than four-fifths of whites said they trust blacks and Latinos, while smaller percentages – but still a majo= rity – of blacks and Latinos said they trust whites.

The survey revealed the fol= lowing negative perceptions among respondents:

Race relations are poor and deteriorating in southeastern Wisconsin;
A tendency of blacks and Latinos to distrust whit= es;
The region lacks leadership to improve the climat= e.

“In southeastern Wisconsin, our c= apacity to be competitive in a global economy depends on our ability to guarantee t= he workforce, infrastructure, and quality of life that will attract and retain businesses and their workers,” Browne says. “This holistic view of econo= mic development highlights the importance of planning and management in many arenas: education, transportation, water resources, health, housing, taxati= on, and race relations, which traditionally has been the ‘elephant in the room’ that people shy away from talking about.”

Nevertheless, according to = the survey, blacks and Hispanics are twice as likely as whites to talk about ra= ce more than once a day. And abo= ut a third of all ethnic groups talk about race once a week.

Other survey findings inclu= de:

Two-thirds of the respondents, regardless of race= or ethnicity, believe that diversity is an important ingredient in education. Just 3% said = going to school with children of other races worsens the experience.
There are differences of opinion as to what constitutes prejudice. F= or example, most whites view racial profiling by police and avoidance of driving through non-white neighborhoods as common sense. Most people of color perceive= those decisions as prejudice. =

The biggest racial gap in the survey was related = to dealings with the police. Only 1% of whites feel they have ever been stopped by police because of the= ir race, while half of blacks (including the vast majority of black males= ) and one-third of Hispanics feel they have.

Pointing to a future of continuing improvement in race relations, 75% of whites report having had a close friend who is black or Hispanic, and nearly 90% of people of color have had white friends.

Survey findings were unveil= ed at a Forum Viewpoint luncheon, “Ra= ce to be competitive,” on Friday, December 1. Complete results can be found on the Public Policy Forum Web site: www.publicpolicyforum.org.

The Milwaukee-based Public = Policy Forum – which was established in 1913 as a local government watchdog – is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the effectiveness of government and the development of southeastern Wisconsin through objective research of regional public policy issues.

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