Race Questions: Section 1

National Totals

Improved education for black students

Improved education for white students

Don't Know
%

Don't Know
%

RACE

Section 1

POLL RESULTS

Desirability of Integration
Question 1: In your opinion, is it a desirable goal to have persons from the different races and ethnic groups that make up the U.S. population represented in the student bodies of the public schools or not? (Asked in: 1996.)
[Code: 623-RacDX-1]

	National Totals
	Yes, desirable %	No, not desirable %	Don't Know %
1996	83	13	4

Impact on Achievement
Question 2: How do you feel about the effect of this on student achievement? Do you believe that the inclusion of more people from different races, ethnic groups, and cultures in the student body of a public school will produce an increase in student achievement, a decrease, or will achievement remain about the same? (Asked in: 1996.)
[Code: 624-RacIX-2]

	National Totals
	Increase achievement %	Decrease achievement %	Achievement will stay about the same %	Don't Know %
1996	34	7	55	4

Increase Emphasis
Question 3: Do you favor or oppose increasing the amount of coursework, counseling, and school activities in the local schools to promote understanding and tolerance among students of different races and ethnic backgrounds? (Asked in: 1992.)
[Code: 625-RacIX-3]

	National Totals
	Favor %	Oppose %	Don't Know %
1992	71	16	13

Integration
Question 4: Do you believe that more should be done -- or that less should be done -- to integrate schools throughout the nation? (Asked in: 1973, 1988.)
[Code: 626-RacIX-4]

	National Totals
	More %	Less %	No change %	Don't Know %
1988	37	23	31	9
1973	30	38	23	9

Integration and Quality
Question 5: How do you feel about school integration? Do you feel it has improved the quality of education received by black students? Do you feel it has improved the quality of education received by white students? (Asked in: 1971, 1988, 1996.)
[Code: 627-RacIX-5]

Promoting Tolerance
Question 6: In your opinion, are the public schools in your community taking the necessary steps to promote understanding and tolerance among students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds or not? (Asked in: 1992, 1998.)
[Code: 628-RacPX-6]

	National Totals
	Yes %	No %	Don't Know %
1998	62	27	11
1992	50	28	22

Race of Teachers
Question 7: In your opinion, how important is it that the percentage of black teachers in a public school is roughly the same as the percentage of black students in that school? Do you think it is very important, somewhat important, not very important, or not at all important? (Asked in: 1996.)
[Code: 629-RacRX-7]

	Very Important %	Somewhat Important %	Not Very Important %	Not Important At All %	Don't Know %
1996 National Totals	58	22	36	39	3
Whites	55	19	36	42	3
Nonwhites	77	43	34	22	1
Blacks	76	45	31	23	1

Race Relations
Question 8: Do you feel it (school integration) has improved relations between blacks and whites or has it worked against better relations? (Asked in: 1971.)
[Code: 630-RacRX-8]

	National Totals
	Improved %	Worked Against %	Don't Know %
1971	40	35	25

Importance of diversity
Question 9: How important is it to you that the public schools in your community have a mix of students from different racial/ethnic backgrounds or economic backgrounds. Is this extremely important, very important, somewhat important, not so important, or not important at all? (Asked in: 2017.)
[Code: 1052-Rac1IX-9]

	National Totals
Year	Respondent race/economic status	Extremely important %	Very important %	Somewhat important %	Not so important %	Not at all important %	Don't Know %
a. Racial and ethnic backgrounds
2017	All	28	27	18	11	11	5
2017	Whites	27	21	22	13	12	5
2017	Nonwhites	28	36	14	9	10	3
b. Economic backgrounds
2017	All	26	19	27	12	12	4
2017	<$50K	27	23	23	9	14	4
2017	<$50K-$100K	28	18	26	9	16	3
2017	<>$100K	22	15	36	17	6	4

Question 10: QUESTION PART A. Do you think having a mix of students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds makes the learning environment better, worse, or the same for: (a) White students; (b) Black and Hispanic students. QUESTION PART B. Do you think having a mix of students from different economic backgrounds makes the learning environment better, worse, or the same for: (a) Students from poor families; (b) Students from middle-income families; (c) Students from higher-income families. (Asked in: 2017.)
[Code: 1053-Rac1IX-10]

		National Totals
Year	Respondent race economic status	Better %	Worse %	The same %	Don't Know %
PART A: a. White students
2017	All	51	5	38	6
2017	Whites	51	4	40	5
2017	Nonwhites	50	5	38	7
PART A: b. Black and Hispanic students
2017	All	55	4	38	4
2017	Whites	55	2	38	4
2017	Nonwhites	54	5	36	5
PART B: a. Students from poor families
2017	All	48	8	39	5
2017	<$50K	39	6	50	5
2017	$50K-$100K	53	10	32	5
2017	$100K+	60	10	26	4
PART B: b. Students from middle-income families
2017	All	41	5	50	4
2017	<$50K	35	3	57	5
2017	$50K-$100K	46	6	43	4
2017	$100K+	51	4	43	2
PART B: c. Students from higher-income families
2017	All	42	10	43	5
2017	<$50K	36	11	47	5
2017	$50K-$100K	45	10	38	6
2017	$100K+	51	9	38	2

Question 11: All else equal, would you rather have your child attend a school where most of the students are of the same race or where the student body is racially diverse? Do you feel that way strongly or somewhat? (Asked in: 2017.)
[Code: 1054-Rac1IX-11]

	National Totals
Year	Respondent race	Strongly prefer mostly same race %	Somewhat prefer mostly same race %	Somewhat prefer racially diverse %	Strongly prefer racially diverse %	Doesn't matter %	Don't Know %
2017	All	12	8	21	49	6	3
2017	Whites	12	7	21	49	6	3
2017	Nonwhites	11	10	18	53	5	4

Question 12: What if your child had to commute farther than they do today to get to a more racially diverse school. Would you prefer a closer but less diverse school or a farther away but more diverse school? (Asked in: 2017.)
[Code: 1055-Rac1IX-12]

	National Totals
Year	Respondent race	Closer, less diverse %	Farther away, more diverse %	Don't Know %
2017	All	57	36	7
2017	Whites	61	32	6
2017	Nonwhites	52	40	7

Question 13: Question 13: All else equal, would you rather have your child attend a school where most of the students are of the same economic background or where the student body is economically diverse? (Asked in: 2017.)
[Code: 1056-Rac1IX-13]

	National Totals
Year	Respondent economic status	Strongly prefer same economic background %	Somewhat prefer same economic background %	Somewhat prefer economic diversity %	Strongly prefer seconomic diversity %	Doesn't matter %	Don't Know %
2017	All	17	10	25	36	7	5
2017	<$50K	21	8	23	36	6	6
2017	$50K-$100K	15	12	23	38	9	2
2017	$100K+	12	13	32	35	3	4

Question 14: What if your child had to commute farther than they do today to get to a more economically diverse school -- would you prefer a closer but less diverse school or a farther away but more diverse school? (Asked in: 2017.)
[Code: 1057-Rac1IX-14]

	National Totals
Year	Respondent economic status	Closer, less diverse %	Farther away, more diverse %	Don't Know %
2017	All	58	33	9
2017	>$50K	63	32	6
2017	$50K-$100K	51	36	13
2017	$100K+	62	32	6

Question 15: How diverse is your own community in terms of the racial/ethnic backgrounds and economic backgrounds of people living there? Would you say very diverse, somewhat diverse, not so diverse, or not diverse at all? (Asked in: 2017.)
[Code: 1058-Rac1IX-15]

	National Totals
Year	Very diverse %	Somewhat diverse %	Not so diverse %	Not at all diverse %	Don't Know %
a. Racial and ethnic backgrounds
2017	31	45	15	6	2
b. Economic bacgrounds
2017	32	50	11	5	2

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Last modified July 6, 2018
k_q_race_1.htm