Two nations, between whom there is no intercourse and no sympathy; who are as ignorant of each other's habits, thought, and feelings, as if they were dwellers in different zones, or inhabitants of different planets (Benjamin Disraeli 1845) - quoted by Andrew Hacker (1992) who was describing race relations in America in his book: Two Nations; Disraeli was describing class relations in nineteenth century England).

The problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color line (W.E.B. DuBois 1903).

Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white, separate and unequal (National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders 1968).

The gap is so wide that it really seems that blacks and whites may as well be on two different planets (Robert J. Blendon 1996).
 
 

    Throughout American history race relations have been strained. Opinion polls, scholars and experts in nineteenth and twentieth century America have noted that black and white Americans do not perceive social realities in the same way even though they share the same environment. These racially divergent perceptions led Gunnar Myrdal to proclaim race as "America's Dilemma" and Studs Turkel to describe it as this country's "Obsession." Today in the 1990's, race differences in perception continue. Some examples include: perceptions of and the reactions to the deadly L.A. riots of 1992 after the acquittal of four white police officers following their beating of a black motorist; perceptions of and reactions to the publication of controversial books such as the Bell Curve and the End of Racism, which tried to link genetics (inferring race) to intelligence and/or success; the growing public backlash toward immigration, affirmative action and other social policies; perceptions of the O.J. Simpson trial - a trial of a famous black ex-athlete accused of murdering his white ex-wife and her white friend.

    Many times, public opinion polls are used to measure the perceptions of Americans. For example, when Americans were polled about their opinion toward affirmative action, 32 percent of whites sampled thought affirmative action should be dismantled and dropped altogether while only 8 percent of blacks agreed (see Table 1). Conversely, 19 percent of white Americans thought the country should keep the policy as it is versus 38 percent of blacks.
 
 

    In another poll, when subjects were asked about the charges levied against O.J. Simpson, perceptual differences along racial lines again appeared. Eighty percent of the whites sampled believed the charges of murder against Mr. Simpson were true versus only 34 percent of blacks (see Table 2). This same pattern of divergent responses was repeated among Americans who felt the charges were untrue. Fifty-eight percent of black Americans asked thought the charges were not true while only 15 percent of whites agreed with that statement.
 
 

Regarding job opportunities, whites overwhelming agreed (74 percent) that each racial group had a fair and equal chance in the workplace (see Table 3). Blacks on the other hand, expressed the opposite view when assessing their chances in the workplace. Seventy-two percent of blacks said opportunities were unequal in the workplace but only 20 percent of whites perceived job opportunities as unequal.
 
 

    The same pattern is seen in the next two tables regarding housing opportunities and fairness in police treatment. Seventy-eight percent of whites as compared to 41 percent of blacks said housing opportunities were fair and equal in their community (see Table 4). Blacks were three times more likely than whites to say housing opportunities were unequal.
 
 

    When Americans were asked to judge whether blacks and whites received equal treatment by the police in most cities, a large percentage of each group disagreed. Forty-five percent of whites but 67 percent of blacks said the police did not treat blacks as fairly as they treated whites (see Table 5). Conversely, 32 percent of whites and only 11 percent of blacks felt the police did treat blacks and whites equally.
 
 

    When both racial groups were asked their opinions on the standard of living of other Americans, differences in perceptions also appeared. Whites believed other whites did not receive as many welfare benefits as blacks. Only 20 percent of whites sampled claimed other whites received more government benefits than blacks; black respondents asserted however that whites received more welfare benefits by a margin of 58 percent to 41 percent (see Table 6, ABC poll).
 
 

    The Washington Post, Kaiser Foundation and Harvard University (W/K/H) conducted a poll asking people about their perceptions of poverty in America. In the poll, whites reported 30.5 percent of all white Americans in the United States were poor while blacks thought 27.9 percent of all white Americans were poor (see Table 7) . According to the 1993 U.S. Census, however only 12 percent of all white Americans are poor. Both groups dramatically overestimated the officially reported percentage of white poverty in the U.S.
 
 
 

    Blacks and whites seem to perceive reality differently. However, there is at least as much overlap in perceptions as there are differences. The mass media and academia consistently chronicle intergroup perceptual differences but ignore (or fail to report) any similarities between the two groups. For example, if one looks at Table 1 again, almost half of each group (46 percent of whites versus 51 percent of blacks) agreed affirmative action policies should be changed. In Table 6, regarding opinions about welfare, approximately 40 percent of each group in the ABC News poll believed blacks are more likely to receive welfare than whites. The same thing is observed in Table 7 using the W/K/H poll regarding poverty. Both whites and blacks held similar views on the extent of white poverty in America. Whites believed 30.5 percent of all whites while blacks claimed 27.9 percent of all whites lived in poverty. Both groups were also very similar in their perceptions in estimating what percentage of black Americans lived in poverty. Whites guessed 37.6 percent while blacks estimated 42.9 percent. These results demonstrate that the perceptions of whites and blacks do converge on some issues.

    This research examines factors that help explain convergence and divergence in black and white perceptions. As Tables 1-7 show, many public opinion polls assume race is the biggest (and sometimes the only) factor affecting perceptions. Using this assumption, the polls do not factor in other variables that might affect perceptions. Some social scientists argue that race is not the sole determinant in how one will perceive a particular situation (Armstrong, Neuendorf and Brentar 1992; Bodenhausen, Schwartz, Bless and Wanke 1995; Jackson Sullivan and Hodge 1993; Nosworthy, Lea and Lindsay 1995; Omoto and Borgida 1988; Reichard and Hengstler 1981). This project assumes that portraying race as the sole determinant in categorizing how one will answer public opinion questions is far too simplistic and irresponsible, especially in the complex world we live in today.

Table of Contents

Chpt. 1

Chpt. 2

Chpt. 3

Chpt. 4

Chpt. 5

Chpt. 6

Chpt. 7