Poll Finds Anger Rising in US, Race Guides Immigration Opinions
Nearly half of all Americans admit they're now angry more often than they used to be over current events and the news.
Esquire reports a NBC News/Survey Monkey/Esquire poll found 54 percent of white Americans insist they feel this way, compared to 43 percent of Latinos and 33 percent of black Americans.
In addition, 61 percent of those identifying as Republicans now feel more perturbed by the news of the day, compared to 42 percent of Democrats. Seventy-seven percent of Republicans get angry once a day, compared to 67 percent of Democrats.
On the issue of "white rage," the poll found "a strong correlation" between a high degree of anger and the feeling among whites that the U.S. isn't the most powerful country in the world anymore. That group also seems to believe the American dream is now dead and the wealth gap is widening, with many adding their own lives have not turned out as well as they'd imagined or expected.
On the hot-button issue of immigration, which has come to largely dominate the 2016 presidential race, minorities were more likely to support the notion that immigrants strengthen the country. In all, 73 percent of Hispanics answered in the affirmative, along with 63 percent of blacks.
Only 43 percent of whites agree with this, according to the data. The poll also found that those who hold anti-immigration views were also more likely to say the U.S was once the most powerful country but no longer claims that role. They were also twice as likely to say white men are struggling to maintain in today's climate.
The poll also found a noticeable disparity between black and white responses to police violence. Nine in 10 black Americans insisted they feel anger when they learn about police shooting an unarmed black man, while seven in 10 whites feel that way.
Social media only seemed to add to all the mixed emotions, with 55 percent of those who get their anger out online on social media responding they're now angrier than they used to be, compared to 48 percent who do not use social media to express discontent.