White Americans are more likely to believe the criminal justice system is colorblind than nonwhites, with 57 percent of whites saying there's little or no prejudice by police against blacks but only 25 percent of non-whites holding that view, a new poll shows.
Conversely, the
CNN/ORC poll, released Monday, found 42 percent of nonwhites said "most" or "some" police officers in their area were prejudiced against members of the black community, while only 17 percent of white respondents thought so.
The survey was primarily conducted before the alleged
revenge slayings of New York Police Department Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos Saturday,
CNN reports.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
According to the survey, 50 percent of whites think the criminal justice system treats white and black citizens equally, while 69 percent of nonwhites think the system favors whites.
Yet Americans, no matter their race, think racism in the justice system can be fixed; 53 percent of whites and 50 percent of nonwhites say racism will not always be a problem in the United States, according to the poll.
The survey also showed city residents were more likely than suburbanites or rural residents to say police treat black citizens differently,
The Hill notes.
The economic status of respondents also seemed to play into their views, The Hill notes: 53 percent of those making more than $50,000 annually said police were less prejudiced, if at all. The same view was held by 42 percent of people who earn less than that amount.
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