Nearly half of those who believe the President WAS born in the U.S. say those who disagree with them are motivated mostly by the President being African-American. 38% in the latest Economist/YouGov poll see other motivations.
Two out of three blacks see a racial component to the belief.
Just over a quarter of Americans think African-Americans have too much influence on the Obama Administration – fewer than say that big business, rich people, Wall Street and labor unions, but more than say that about the middle class, the poor, Asian-Americans and Jews.
Would you say the following groups have too much or too little influence on the policies of the Obama Administration?
| Too much | About the right amount | Too little | |
|---|---|---|---|
Big business | 58% | 30% | 11% |
Labor unions | 41% | 42% | 17% |
Wall Street | 54% | 36% | 9% |
Middle class people | 5% | 38% | 57% |
Rich people | 55% | 32% | 13% |
Poor people | 13% | 32% | 55% |
African-Americans | 28% | 54% | 18% |
Jews | 11% | 67% | 23% |
Asian-Americans | 9% | 66% | 25% |
Using a scale developed for the American National Election Studies about racial resentment, the poll suggests that resentment is related to the disbelief that the President was born in the U.S. The third that score highest on this are nearly twice as likely to think the President was born outside the country as those with lower scores. That group is more likely to include the President’s partisan opponents, like Republicans and Tea Party identifiers.
The questions, which ask whether discrimination and slavery have made it difficult for blacks to work their way out of the lower classes, whether African-Americans have gotten less than they deserve in recent years, whether they should try harder, and whether – like European immigrant groups – there should be no special favors, shows divisions among blacks, too. On the latter two items, blacks are evenly divided, on the first two, about a quarter of African-Americans disagree.
Please tell us how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements.
| All Respondents | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Generations of slavery and discrimination have created conditions that make it difficult for blacks to work their way out of the lower class. | 32% | 21% | 47% |
Over the past few years, blacks have gotten less than they deserve. | 17% | 31% | 52% |
It’s really a matter of some people not trying hard enough; if blacks would only try harder they could be just as well off as whites. | 46% | 27% | 27% |
Irish, Italians, Jewish and many other minorities overcame prejudice and worked their way up. Blacks should do the same without any special favors. | 61% | 23% | 16% |
Please tell us how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements.
| Blacks Only | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Generations of slavery and discrimination have created conditions that make it difficult for blacks to work their way out of the lower class. | 48% | 29% | 23% |
Over the past few years, blacks have gotten less than they deserve. | 36% | 40% | 24% |
It’s really a matter of some people not trying hard enough; if blacks would only try harder they could be just as well off as whites. | 35% | 30% | 35% |
Irish, Italians, Jewish and many other minorities overcame prejudice and worked their way up. Blacks should do the same without any special favors. | 35% | 32% | 33% |
Full datasets for Economist/YouGov polls can be found here.
Photo source: flickr ( indianfilipino )
