Pew poll: Majority of Black Americans say slavery still affects them, slave descendants should be repaid

A new report from the Pew Research Center shows that nearly two thirds of black Americans have said that the increased focus on inequality and stamping out racism, including the Black Lives Matter protests have not led to any notable improvements in their lives.

The survey results cut a pessimistic tone when compared to September of 2020, when a majority of black adults (56%) felt extra spotlight on issues such as race and equality following a summer of protests sparked by the death of George Floyd would lead to significant changes that would positively impact the lives of black Americans.

However in the recent survey, 65% of black adults say that none of these changes have panned out. Only 13% of those polled see it as extremely or very likely that black people in the US will achieve equality. There is minimal variation in that figure by age, gender, region or the level of education.

The survey, which was carried out last fall and included interviews with over 3,000 black Americans across the country found that 82% consider racism a serious problem for black people in the US.

Approximately 8 in 10 black Americans said they have personally experienced discrimination because of their race or ethnicity (79%), this includes 15% who say they experience such discrimination on a regular. And roughly 7 in 10 (68%) say racial discrimination is the main reason why many black people are not able to get ahead these days.

“Overall, Black Americans are clear on what they think the problems are facing the country and how to remedy them,” write Kiana Cox and Khadijah Edwards, the report’s authors. “However, they are skeptical that meaningful changes will take place in their lifetime.”

A significant majority (85%) of black adults say black people in the US today continue to be affected by the legacy of slavery, and 77% say descendants of people enslaved in the US should be repaid in some way. But just 7% of black adults see the payment of reparations as very or extremely likely in their own lifetimes. Only 30% of those polled of the general adult US population said they were in favor of reparations.