Record-High 86% Approve of Black-White Marriages

[SpartanDem]

Americans are approaching unanimity in their views of marriages between blacks and whites, with 86% now approving of such unions. Americans' views on interracial marriage have undergone a major transformation in the past five decades. When Gallup first asked about black-white marriages in 1958, 4% approved. More Americans disapproved than approved until 1983, and approval did not exceed the majority level until 1997.

Approval of black-white marriage is well above the majority level among all key subgroups, though slightly lower among Southerners, Republicans, conservatives, and those with no college education. Senior citizens are the least approving of black-white marriage among major subgroups, at 66%

Today's older Americans, those aged 50 and older, are much more likely to approve of black-white marriage than people of the same age a generation ago; 78% today vs. 27% in 1991, a 51-point shift. At the same time, there has also been a 33-point increase among 18- to 29-year-olds (64% to 97%) and a 35-point increase among 30- to 49-year-olds (from 56% to 91%) between the two time periods.

The increase in approval of black-white marriage among all Americans, however, is probably more the result of changing attitudes within the population than it is changes in the composition of the population with more socially progressive younger adults replacing less progressive older ones. This is evident from examining the same age cohorts in 1991 and now. Each cohort shows 30 point or more increases in approval of black-white marriage today compared with the same group's attitudes 20 years ago







http://www.gallup.com/poll/149390/Record-High-Approve-Black-White-Marriages.aspx

[gratuitous]

1. There's only one thing to do

Cater to the 14% who still can't quite wrap their little brains around "mixed race" marriage.

Really and for true: We as a society have left this 14% behind. Nobody gives them even a respectful hearing, because we don't honor such stubborn, bred-to-the-bone racism. Nobody else's marriage is affected if the participants in a wedding aren't the same "race," and we no longer listen to the benighted yammering of the racist fringe.

Now it's time to get moving in the same way on same sex marriage opponents. They deserve no more consideration than the 14% in this survey, and it's time we took the eminently sensible step of ignoring them.

[PM Martin]

2. The 14% who do not approve would be the same teabaggers

who demand that people be allowed to make their own decisions without interference of the government.

[RKP5637]

8. Yep, without a doubt. n/t

[tjwash]

3. Just that question being asked in a poll shows you how far we still have to go as a culture.

Although...you can see the whole age thing in the poll. The 70 plus crowd is at 61 percent approve. A little over half think that way still? Pretty sad. I guess age and wisdom don't exclusively go hand in hand all the time.

[SpartanDem]

5. That nationwide just think what that number is in South

[Codeine]

4. But do the same number of Mormons approve of black-white-white-black-white

marriages? :hide:

[Douglas Carpenter]

6. in terms of tolerance the world certainly has become more reasonable in this sort of way

Just like attitudes in 1968 showed that most people viewed homosexuality as criminal behavior that should be punished with prison. The more liberal tended to believe that they should only be incarcerated in mental institutions. Today we have a black President, 86% of the public accepts inter-racial marriage as opposed 20% in 1968 and the debate within polite society on gay people is between full and partial marriage equality. The world certainly has become considerably more enlightened in those respects. But when it comes to economic equity and fairness - the world has clearly gone backward and become more reactionary. Giant steps forward on major issues of social tolerance - gradual yet relentless deteriorations on economic equity. I suppose we are moving into a world that no longer cares if one is black or white, gay or straight or what if any religion one is - as long as one has money. I guess that is the urbane model of enlightenment.

[SpartanDem]

10. I think they're intertwined

First remember seniors vote more thatn any other age group, the least progressive comprise a disproportionate share of voters. Secondly, social programs require support of a government as institution and this county is undergoing massive changes in terms racial make up, religious makeup and moral views. You have a lot people who reactions to these changes has been to start seeing the government as the enemy making these changes possible. This why there such a wide discrepancy of people saying that support/enjoy liberal ideas or programs while they vote conservative hatred is very powerful thing. We forget America is by the most diverse Western nation no western European nations has more than a 5% minority population. The fact those place are 95% white have much better social safety nets is not in my mind a coincidence.

[Douglas Carpenter]

13. you may have a point there

LBJ understood very well back in 1964/65 that he had to paint American poverty white in order to wage the war on poverty. As poverty became increasingly associated with ethnic minorities- sympathy for the poor simply dropped. But also during the same time period capitalism - especially highly speculative capitalism became an even stronger force in the American and world economies. Along with this came a notion that justice was increasingly seen as the right to acquire a disproportionate share of wealth as opposed to a more fair and equitable distribution of wealth. Also the definition of economic success and what it takes for a person to feel and be perceived as successful has skyrocketed into the stratosphere. A small town shop keeper in 1968 would have felt themselves and been considered by their peers to have achieved the American dream. Today being a winner as opposed to being a loser practically requires a multimillion dollar portfolio. Even those who where considered at the time conservative Republicans would have supported a much higher income tax rate on the wealthy than anything near what Dennis Kucinich or Bernie Sanders would propose today. The vast majority of conservative Republicans in 1968 would have at least believed in principle that government should help those who genuinely cannot help themselves. Those Republicans who today are carrying on with this nonsense about class warfare because of marginally higher tax rate on the very wealthy such as President Obama is proposing would have been laughed out of the Republican Party of 1968. Those cheering at the thought that the uninsured should be allowed to die would have been scorned with contempt.

[RKP5637]

7. I would say by far that the majority of marriages in the US are

basically inter-racial depending on how far one wants to take it... This black-white thing has always mystified me, always amazed me for decades and decades. Now we know 14% of this country is comprised of absolutely hard core bigots and racists. Somewhat refreshing, as I had thought it was higher.

[carolinayellowdog]

9. In 1969 when my father married my stepmother, it was 21%

I knew they were going against the current, but not how strong the disapproval was. Heartening for those of us in biracial families to see how much has changed.

I too would like to see state or regional breakdowns, and expect the difference between upper South and deep South would be greater than between upper South and Midwest or Mid-Atlantic. That was definitely true of Obama share of the white vote-- 30-40% in VA, WV, TN, KY, 10-12% in AL, LA, MS.

[lunatica]

11. It's none of my business to judge or not judge others. Live and let live

is just fine with me.

[dtexdem]

12. Record low 14% ADMIT to being racist assholes.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! ;-)

[pintobean]

14. Disaproval went from 96% to 14% in my lifetime.

So far. That's absolutely amazing.

[seabeyond]

15. more old people are getting racially mixed children to love. cant really hate when you love

i saw this with an employ. her daughter got preg by a black man and was so angry and hateful. three children later she loves them so. they are half their father. cant really hate the race, or you hate the child.

[Hepburn]

16. One of my closest gal pals has a bi-racial grandchild.

My pal calls her family the "United Nations." I cannot think of a race or ethnic group that is not represented. Her granddaughter is absolutely a gorgeous girl, inside and out, and I just love her, too. She is about to turn 16 and is nearly 6-ft tall and looks like a model. Loves her gramma and her gramma's pals. When she is at my pal's house, I pick her up and we go swimming and do a ton of girl talk and giggling. Lovely child. And...the bitch across the way from me hates her because she is bi-racial. Unreal and disgusting woman. So, some of the 14% lives real close to me.

[Nye Bevan]

17. Quite sobering that 96% of DUers' parents held racist views.

And I'm embarrassed to say that my parents were squarely in the 96%. But what a difference a generation or two makes. My children have friends of several races and the issue of race just never comes up.

[Odin2005]

18. That sudden jump in the mid 90's is interesting.

I'm guessing it's from the folks born in the 1900s and 1910s dying off.