A clear majority of Americans think the police treat black people worse than white people. A new CBS Poll also shows a stark divide between Democrats and Republicans on the issue.
The poll was released on Tuesday morning as protests are expected to continue following the death of George Floyd.
The survey found that 57% of people believe police treat white people better than African Americans. Just 39% think police treat white and black people equally.
African Americans are far more likely to think police treat their community worse. A staggering 78% of black respondents said law enforcement treats white people better.
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Among white people, just 52% agreed that police treat white people better than African Americans, but overall, Americans see a clear disparity in treatment based on race.
The poll also showed a stark partisan divide on the issue. While 80% of Democrats think African Americans receive worse treatment, just 29% of Republicans see the same problem.
A clear majority of Republicans – 61% – think police treat black and white people equally. This is despite the numerous deaths of unarmed African Americans involving police.
Interestingly, 29% of GOP voters think police treat whites better. This shows almost a third of self-identified Republicans recognize there is a problem.
Republicans were outliers in the poll as 59% of independents said they thought police treat African Americans worse than white people. A further 38% said they are treated equally.
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Darragh Roche is a journalist covering U.S. politics and media
