Opinions over which groups are the most discriminated against in the US differ widely depending on the political affiliation of the person being asked, according to an opinion poll.
Republicans and Democrats are sharply divided over who loses out most to prejudice in American society. More than 80 per cent of Democrats say discrimination is worse for black, Latino, gay and Jewish people. In contrast, Republican voters say it is white people and Christians who suffer most from prejudice.
The poll, for The Wall Street Journal, found 88 per cent of Democrats believed that in purely racial terms, black people faced discrimination or injustice. Fewer than half of Republicans – 49 per cent – agreed.
By contrast, just over a fifth of the Democrats said white people were disadvantaged by their colour. Some 59 per cent of Republicans agreed.
The findings underscore the deep divisions in American society. The Black Lives Matter movement – which grew in prominence after George Floyd, a black man, was murdered by a white policeman in Minneapolis in 2020 – was embraced by the left. Many on the right see the campaign as divisive.
The teaching in schools of critical race theory – the idea that prejudice against black people is ingrained in society – is similarly divisive. Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida, and Glenn Youngkin, Governor of Virginia, were elected after vociferously opposing the theory. Both are seen as potential future Republican presidential candidates.
Read the article in The Australian (from The Times).