Serious racial tensions exist between the three largest minority groups in the US -- Asians, African-Americans and Hispanics, according to a new survey.
SILICON VALLEY: Serious racial tensions exist between the three largest minority groups in the US -- Asians, African-Americans and Hispanics, according to a new survey.
The survey, exposing various facets of racial friction between the three groups, revealed that they viewed each other with deep suspicion.
The nation's first multilingual poll, sponsored by New America Media (NAM), an association of over 700 ethnic media outlets, also found majorities in each group favoured putting differences aside to work together for the betterment of their communities.
"This extraordinary poll reveals some unflattering realities that exist in America today," said Sandy Close, Executive Editor and Director of NAM.
Broadly, the poll of 1,105 respondents found that the predominantly immigrant populations - Hispanics and Asians - expressed far greater optimism about their lives in America, concluding that hard work was rewarded in the society.
By contrast, over 60 per cent of the African-Americans polled did not believe the 'American Dream' worked for them. They also described themselves as more segregated from the rest of America than the other groups.
The poll found that friction between ethnic and racial groups, which often erupted into highly-publicised incidents around the country, was rooted in the mistrust that the groups harbored towards each other.
The friction was also the result of the sentiment that other groups were mistreating them or were detrimental to their own future.
For instance, 44 per cent of Hispanics and 47 per cent of Asians were "generally afraid of African-Americans because they are responsible for most of the crime."
Meanwhile, 46 per cent of Hispanics and 52 per cent of African Americans believed "most Asian business owners do not treat them with respect."
And half of African-Americans felt threatened by Latin American immigrants because "they are taking jobs, housing and political power away from the Black community."
Moreover, the three groups seemed more trusting of whites than of each other.
The poll found that 61 per cent of Hispanics, 54 per cent of Asians and 47 per cent of African-Americans would rather do business with whites than members of the other two groups.
"The poll reaffirms that while race relations between ethnic groups and whites grab the headlines, there are also serious racial problems between minority groups in America," said Sergio Bendixen, who is an expert on Hispanic and multilingual polling.
"Blacks feel they are left out of the 'American Dream' and are being displaced by newcomers, and each group buys into the negative stereotypes about the other two.
The poll further found that while "a majority of Hispanics and a significant percentage of Asians believe in the concept that every American has an equal opportunity to succeed, the majority of Black respondents (66 per cent) disagreed with that notion."
The African-Americans also "overwhelmingly believe the criminal justice system favours the rich and powerful; most Hispanics and an even larger majority of Asians disagree.
"All three groups are optimistic about the future. Strong majorities of each group believe that racial tensions will ease over the next 10 years", the poll added.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}