Fewer Americans believe our nation has made significant progress in race relations, and a majority say things have grown worse over the past six years.
A new study from Nashville-based Lifeway Research conducted in September 2020 finds U.S. adults are less likely now than in 2014 to agree with the statement “We have come so far on racial relations.” Today, 46% say we have made worthwhile progress – 28 points fewer than in 2014 when 74% said the same.
Americans are also twice as likely to disagree than in 2014. Today, 46% don’t believe we have come a long way on race relations, while it was 23% in 2014.
Scott McConnell executive director of Lifeway Research, acknowledges that a change in methodology from telephone in 2014 to online may have impacted survey results. “Regardless, optimism on race relations is lower than we previously thought,” he said.
White Americans are the most likely to say we’ve made significant progress (51%), while African Americans are the most likely to disagree (66%).
Religiously unaffiliated Americans are the religious group least likely to agree with the statement (38%). Among Christians, those who attend at least monthly (57%) are more likely than those who attend less frequently (39%) to believe the nation has come a long way on race relations. Americans with evangelical beliefs are more likely to agree (58%) than those without such beliefs (43%).
When thinking about how to improve race relations, most Americans (57%) say religious leaders play a positive role. Around a quarter (24%) disagree, and 18% aren’t sure.
Americans are divided over whether U.S. churches are too segregated. More than 2 in 5 (42%) believe that to be true, while 36% disagree and 22% aren’t sure.
A long way to go?
Currently, 71% of Americans agree with the statement: “We’ve got so far to go on racial relations,” while 21% disagree. The portion of those who believe we have much farther to go is down from 81% in 2014. Among African Americans, however, 81% still agree that the U.S. has a long way to go.
For 7 in 10 Americans (69%), racial diversity is good for the country. Around a quarter (23%) disagree. This is down from 2014 when 82% of Americans said they believed our nation’s racial diversity was beneficial. The percentage of white Americans who see diversity as good fell almost 20 points (85% in 2014 to 66% today).
Among those that identify as Christian, those who attend church less than once a month are the least likely to see racial diversity as good for the U.S. (63%).
Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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