Race relations plummet since Trump takes office – new survey

Americans also appear divided on issues of religion and patriotism

By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN
Donald Trump (photo credit: REUTERS)
Donald Trump
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Since Donald Trump became president of the United States, race relations have worsened, said more than half of Americans.
A survey released earlier this week by The Wall Street Journal and NBC News found that 56% of all adults feel race relations have plummeted since Trump took office in 2017. Specifically, 86% of African Americans and 74% of Hispanics feel this is the case.
Only 10% of American adults say race relations have improved under Trump.
There is an ever-increasing gap between Republicans and Democrats regarding diversity of and tolerance for different lifestyles and cultures. Some 63% of people who said they would vote in a Democratic primary said that the country’s becoming more diverse is a step forward. In contrast, only 16% of Republicans said they feel the same way.
Half of Republicans say race relations are good, while only 21% of Democrats say so.
Of respondents, 42% said that they identify in some capacity with the Democratic Party, while another 33% identify with the Republican Party.
In general, the new survey also found that America is deeply divided over personal principles and views.
The survey found that some 52% of American adults say “belief in God” is very important while 20% say it is somewhat important. It also found that 48% of American adults see religion as very important. However, that number is down from a similar survey taken in 1998 by 12%.
Some two-thirds of older adults cited religion as very important, compared with fewer than one-third of younger respondents.
Some 61% taking the survey cited patriotism as very important to them, down nine percentage points from 1998. Among people 55 and older, that number was nearly 80%, compared with 42% of those aged 18 to 38.
 “Faith’s moral teachings and its timeless precepts motivated our principled leaders to muster support to free slaves, advocate for civil rights and affirm America’s Declaration of Independence,” said Joel Anand Samy, co-founder and president of the US-based International Leaders Summit and Jerusalem Leaders Summit, in reaction to the survey.
“In light of the current downward trend, America’s patriots and principled religious leaders ought to engage, educate and inspire a new generation of leaders about the significance of strengthening the foundational rule of law that protects life, liberty and private property.”


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