rereparationspolldata

Source: The American Enterprise, July 2001 v12 i5 p61.

Title:   Reparations?
White and black attitudes towards reparations for
             Slavery
   Author: Karlyn Bowman

No matter how you phrase the question, black and white Americans differ profoundly on the issue of an apology or reparations for past racial discrimination.

In one poll last year, 53 percent of blacks supported the idea of the federal government paying money to African Americans as compensation for slavery. Only 3 percent of whites supported the idea.

Question: When people talk about what white American should be willing to to do to help African Americans in this country, which of the following two statements comes closer to your view ...?

                                                  White      Black
                                                response   response

White Americans have benefited from          32%         64%
past and present discrimination against
African Americans, so they should be
willing to make up for these wrongs

Most white Americans have not benefited          64%          27%
from past and present discrimination
against African Americans so they have no
responsibility to make up for these wrongs

Source: Washington Post, Kaiser
Family Foundation, Harvard
University Survey Project,
August-September 1995.

Question: Do you think ...?

                            White   Black
     response    response

The federal government           38%              66%
should apologize to
black Americans for the
slavery that once existed
in this country

Should not                         53%              24%

No opinion                             8%              10%

Source: ABCNews.com, June-July 2000.

Questions: Do you think ...?
              Should
          Should     Not
Federal government should pay        19%        77%
money to black Americans whose
ancestors were slaves as
compensation for that slavery

Source: ABC News, June 1997

Question: Do you think ...?          Should
             Should   Not
The United States should pay         11%   81%
reparations for slavery, that is,
pay money to African Americans
who are descendants of slaves

Source: Fox News, March 2001.