Differences in people’s perceptions on how they are treated by the court system, salespeople and suburban communities are apparent across racial and ethnic lines, according to a new poll recently released by Manhattanville College.
It showed that more than one-half of Hispanics surveyed stated that police treated them less fairly then they did their White peers. For Hispanics, discrimination seems to occur most frequently while shopping — with roughly 53 percent of respondents reporting that they had experienced discrimination in that activity, compared to 60 percent of Blacks and 44 percent of Whites who said they had.
More Hispanics than any other group, 41 percent, said they experienced discrimination at school, compared to 33 percent of Blacks and 29 percent of Whites who said they had.
Richard Berman, president of Manhattanville College, said: “This poll captures diverse perceptions of people and the suburban communities they live and work in. It shows that discrimination is quite real when it comes to activities like shopping and eating in restaurants, as well as perceptions about how different groups are treated by the criminal justice system.”
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Thinking back over the last few years have you or your family experienced discrimination because of your race or ethnic background:
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|
|
|
2007 |
1999 |
||||
|
Yes |
No |
DK |
Yes |
No |
DK |
||
|
At work |
Whites |
35% |
64% |
1% |
44% |
56% |
— |
|
Blacks |
44 |
55 |
1 |
61 |
39 |
— |
|
|
Hispanics |
38 |
62 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
With the police |
Whites |
23 |
75 |
2 |
13 |
87 |
— |
|
Blacks |
33 |
64 |
2 |
41 |
59 |
— |
|
|
Hispanics |
36 |
57 |
7 |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
While Shopping |
Whites |
44 |
54 |
2 |
23 |
77 |
— |
|
Blacks |
60 |
37 |
4 |
57 |
43 |
— |
|
|
Hispanics |
53 |
47 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
While eating out |
Whites |
27 |
70 |
4 |
10 |
90 |
— |
|
Blacks |
39 |
56 |
5 |
37 |
62 |
— |
|
|
Hispanics |
34 |
65 |
1 |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
At school |
Whites |
29 |
65 |
6 |
15 |
83 |
2 |
|
Blacks |
33 |
59 |
8 |
31 |
63 |
6 |
|
|
Hispanics |
41 |
55 |
4 |
— |
— |
— |
|
Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding
Nearly 42 percent of Hispanics believe that they are less likely to get a fair trial then their White, non-Hispanic peers, and over a quarter of Hispanics reported that they had encountered a form of discrimination at least once a month or more. Based on the aggregated results, Hispanics tend to have a more positive view on relations than other minority groups, however, not as optimistic as Whites.
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How often do you experience discrimination in your everyday life because of your race or ethnic background? |
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|
|
Total |
White |
Black |
Hispanic |
|
Almost every day |
4% |
3% |
10% |
7% |
|
About once a week |
5 |
2 |
11 |
6 |
|
About once a month |
8 |
5 |
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