Racial Bias & Discrimination

Many South Africans are dissatisfied with the state of their democracy. Confidence in some civic institutions declined from 1990 to 2013.

Certain black Americans – particularly those who are college educated or male – are more likely to say they’ve faced certain situations because of their race.

Blacks have long outnumbered whites in U.S. prisons. But a significant decline in the number of black prisoners has narrowed the gap.

People see diversity and gender equality increasing in their countries but say family ties have weakened. Views on the importance of religion vary widely.

Many Americans say the country hasn’t gone far enough in giving black people equal rights with whites. Most believe slavery continues to impact black people’s status.

Most Americans (65%) – including majorities across racial and ethnic groups – say it has become more common for people to express racist or racially insensitive views since Trump was elected president.

While a slight majority of Americans think it is generally unacceptable to use blackface in a Halloween costume, about one-in-three say it is acceptable at least sometimes.

Newsroom employees are more likely to be white and male than U.S. workers overall. There are signs, though, of a turning tide: Younger newsroom employees show greater racial, ethnic and gender diversity than their older colleagues, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

The European continent today is split in public attitudes toward religion, minorities and social issues such as gay marriage and legal abortion.

About half of U.S. Latinos say the situation for Hispanics in the U.S. has worsened over the past year, and a majority say they worry that they or someone they know could be deported.