A new CBS News/New York Times poll looks at U.S. race relations in general and the troubles in Ferguson, MO, in particular. The Times article has the interactive details, with the sample segmented by race, gender, politics, where people live, and age group.
Only 10% think race relations are better since President Obama was elected in 2008. Fully 35% believe they are worse. Asked about the protestors' behavior in the shooting aftermath, 59% of all adults say they went too far.
In which three segments did less than half believe the protests were too violent? Answer: blacks, liberals, and those aged 18-44. If you think about it, some of the same people showed up in each of those three groups - for example a young, black person.
One of the most revealing findings is that people are relatively evenly split on the good (47%) or bad (44%) character of race relations in the United States. However, three quarters (78%) say race relations are good in their own community.
The difference between view-of-nation and view-of-community reflects the generally segregated living patterns of most Americans. Seventy-five percent of whites say they regularly come in contact with few or no black persons. Similarly, 89% of black people say somewhere between half and almost all of those they regularly come in contact with are black.
White and black America live largely separate lives, watching different TV shows, listening to different music, shopping in different stores, etc. A Venn diagram showing areas of overlap would probably feature athletics and government institutions, including the military.
