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Americans don’t think there will be racial equality within their lifetime, according to survey Credits: Social Media
By Tom Llewellyn

Americans don’t think there will be racial equality within their lifetime, according to survey

By Tom Llewellyn

A multi-ethnic survey of more than 5,000 Americans has found many dont believe racial equality will be achieved in their lifetime.

Earlier this week, the world celebrated Martin Luther King Jr Day, a federal holiday remembering his life and work with the Civil Rights Movement that helped shape modern America. Unfortunately, many Americans arent too optimistic about achieving racial equality in their lifetime – although the breakdown by ethnicity shows some interesting differences in opinion.

Martin Luther King Giving "Dream" Speech
Martin Luther King Jr., gives his “I Have a Dream” speech to a crowd before the Lincoln Memorial during the Freedom March in Washington, DC, on August 28, 1963. The widely quoted speech became one of his most famous.

Survey finds 1/3 of Americans have been influenced by Kings work

For the March on Washington anniversary last year, the Pew Research Center conducted a large survey of 5,073 American adults across four different ethnic groups: Black, Asian, Hispanic, and White.

They wanted to find out what they thought about Martin Luther King Jrs work and legacy, as well as their opinion on whether racial equality is something that could be achieved within their lifetime.

The majority of participants said King had a positive impact on American society, with around 47% saying his work had a very positive impact on US culture  38% even claimed their own views on racial equality had been influenced by Kings teachings.

However, only 60% of adults said they had either heard in full or read a fair amount of Kings famous I Have a Dream speech. Unsurprisingly, Black adults (80%) were the most likely to know the speech well, followed by White adults (60%), Hispanic adults (49%), and Asian adults (41%).

Interestingly, the Primetime Emmy Awards recently ranked the I Have a Dream speech as the sixth most-impactful TV moment in human history; behind the likes of JFKs death, Roots premiere, 9/11, and the Apollo 11 moon landings.

Selma to Montgomery Alabama March
MONTGOMERY, AL – MARCH 25: Dr Martin Luther King Jr speaking before crowd of 25,000 Selma To Montgomery, Alabama civil rights marchers, in front of Montgomery, Alabama state capital building. On March 25, 1965 in Montgomery, Alabama. (Photo by Stephen F. Somerstein/Getty Images)

Americans dont think there will be racial equality in their lifetime

The researchers then asked each participant what they thought about racial equality in America, both over the past 60 years, and how they feel the issue will progress within their lifetime.

Whilst the majority of Americans said there has been a great deal or a fair amount of progress made in the past 60 years, more than half said efforts to improve equality havent gone far enough.

When asked whether they thought racial equality would be achieved in their lifetime:

  • Very likely – 8% Black, 12% Asian, 16% Hispanic, and 12% White adults
  • Somewhat likely – 30% Black, 35% Asian, 42% Hispanic, and 32% White adults
  • Not too likely  37% Black, 42% Asian, 29% Hispanic, and 35% White adults
  • Not likely at all  23% Black, 6% Asian, 7% Hispanic, and 12% White adults

Out of those who said ‘not enough’ has been done to improve racial equality in America, many of them pointed to systems that need to be rebuilt such as the prison system (44%), policing (28%), and the political system (37%). The same sentiments extend to healthcare, judicial, and economic systems too.

Concerningly, 20% of people from the Pew Research study said efforts to ensure equality for all had already gone too far.

This survey didnt go into detail about how these systems can be rebuilt to better improve racial equality. However, a 2022 investigation from Human Rights Watch found in order to improve racial equality across the US, the following issues need addressing before real change is made, and seen:

  • The ongoing structural racism and legacies of enslavement
  • The discriminatory impact of mass incarceration
  • The discriminatory impact of policies criminalizing youth
  • The criminalization of poverty
  • Racial disparities in probation and parole
  • Excessive use of law enforcement
  • Racial discrimination by law enforcement
  • Racial discrimination against migrants
  • Racial disparities in public health
  • Racial discrimination in the social safety net
  • Discrimination in the US education system
Black Lives Matter Movement Inspires Demonstrations In UK
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – JUNE 07: A woman holding a child, raise their fists in the air as Black Lives Matter protesters hang their banners on the fence of Holyrood Palace, despite a call by First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon and others to find other forms of protest because of lockdown rules and coronavirus fears on June 7, 2020 in Edinburgh, Scotland.The death of an African-American man, George Floyd, while in the custody of Minneapolis police has sparked protests across the United States, as well as demonstrations of solidarity in many countries around the world. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

The next Civil Rights-related celebration is Rosa Parks Day, which will be commemorated on February 4 in various states across the US.