Black Americans see racism as persistent challenge: poll

NEW YORK - Two-thirds of Black Americans say that recent increased focus on race and racial inequality in the United States has not led to changes that are improving the lives of Black people, CNN on Tuesday cited a new report from the Pew Research Center.

"The finding marks a pessimistic turn: In September of 2020, a majority of Black adults (56 percent) felt the added attention to issues of race and equality following a summer of protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd would lead to changes that improved the lives of Black people," said the report.

In the new survey, however, 65 percent of Black adults say that such changes haven't materialized. Just 13 percent see it as extremely or very likely that Black people in the United States will achieve equality, with little variation in that figure by age, gender, region or education level.

"The survey -- which included interviews with more than 3,000 Black Americans nationwide conducted last fall -- finds 82 percent consider racism a major problem for Black people in the United States," said the report.

About 8 in 10 Black Americans report having personally experienced discrimination because of their race or ethnicity (79 percent), including 15 percent who say they experience such discrimination regularly; roughly 7 in 10 (68 percent) say racial discrimination is the main reason why many Black people can't get ahead these days, it added.