Half of Millennial Latinos Say They Experienced Racial Discrimination, Pew Research Center Finds
As President Obama's second term comes to an end, a racial divide remains among those who believe minorities in the United States face discrimination.
A recent Pew Research Center survey found more than half of Latinos said they experienced unfair treatment because of their race. Of the 654 Hispanics surveyed, 62 percent who faced discrimination were born in the U.S., compared to 41 percent of immigrants.
Respondents were not asked for specifics - if they believed biases were based on skin color, language barriers, or perceived immigration status - but most who reported being treated unfairly were millennials. While Pew Research Center editor Jens Manuel Krogstad noted that Latinos are a whole are "significantly less likely" than blacks to harbor such experiences, he found few differences between those aged 18 to 29.
"Some 65% of blacks in this age group, and an equal share of young Hispanics, say the have experienced discrimination or unfair treatment," Krogstad wrote.
Latinos and Blacks Find Common Ground
The survey found non-Hispanic whites and minorities take completely different views on racism.
Over 40 percent of blacks are skeptical that they will ever receive equal rights, and just eight percent say they will see equality in their lifetime. Conversely, nearly four-in-ten whites say enough changes have been made.
Latinos and blacks each said they are worse off than white; some 58 percent of respondents in each ethnic group said race relations in America are generally bad. The difference is that Latinos, like whites, believe improved relations can be achieved by focusing on what ethnic groups have in common rather their individual traits.
African-Americans are the second-largest minority in the U.S. next to Latinos, who make up an estimated 56.6 million of the population and are expected to vote in record numbers on Election Day.
Fear of Retaliation
A 21-point gap existed between U.S.-born Latinos who faced discrimination and those who identified as immigrants. This doesn't necessarily mean one group is discriminated against more than another, it may just mean immigrants aren't as comfortable talking about it.
Pew Researchers performed their survey amid a contention presidential election marred by presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric. Trump has proposed deporting some 11 million undocumented immigrants out the country and fortifying the U.S.-Mexico wall at the Mexican government's expense.
The Department of Homeland Security heightened fears with ongoing immigration raids that target individuals who arrived after 2010, including women and children.
This survey was conducted between Feb. 29 and May 8, a little over a month before the deadliest shooting in U.S. history left 49 people dead at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. Most of the patrons were Puerto Rican who were at Pulse celebrating "Latin night."
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