Study Says African Americans, Hispanics Less Optimistic Than Whites About Local Public Schools

5/14/2003

From: Liselle Yorke of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, 202-789-6366 or lyorke@jointcenter.org

WASHINGTON, May 14 -- While the majority of whites rate their local public schools highly, most African Americans and Hispanics give their schools only a fair grade, according to a Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies' education poll. The findings, which will be released today, show that 54.9 percent of whites believe their public schools are excellent or good, as opposed to 35.2 percent of African Americans and 42.9 percent of Hispanics.

African Americans were almost evenly divided over whether their schools had improved, worsened or remained the same over the past five years. Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites were similarly split between whether schools had gotten better or remained unchanged.

The poll will be released at a press briefing today, May 14, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the National Press Club (Lisagor Room).

"It is heartening to see that almost one-third of the respondents in each group saw improvement in their schools, but it is clear that much remains to be done to ameliorate the perception of public schools," said Eddie N. Williams, president of the Joint Center.

In another key finding, the poll shows that although a majority of African Americans continue to support school vouchers, almost half of them are unsure of how much of their own income they would be willing to spend as supplemental funding. The same uncertainty -- to a lesser degree -- was evident among Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites. Both groups also show majority support for vouchers.

In addition, despite general agreement on the need for increased public school funding, African Americans and Hispanics showed greater support for this than non-Hispanic whites. Interestingly, roughly 20 percent of those over 65 in the general population felt that too much was being spent on education.

Among the other findings:

-- Opposition to vouchers was strongest among African Americans ages 51 to 64 (56.5 percent), Hispanics over 65 (51.7 percent) and the general population over 65 (54.5 percent). Support was strongest among African Americans ages 26 to 35 (70.4 percent), Hispanics ages 18 to 25 (67.2 percent), and the general population ages 26 to 35 (62.5 percent). -- Most non-Hispanic whites (66.4 percent), Hispanics (61.8 percent) and African Americans (60.1 percent) reported no school violence near their homes. -- Seventy-five (75) percent of respondents indicated that they would consider sending their children to non-public schools if vouchers were available.

The survey was conducted between September 17 and October 21, 2002, among 2,463 adults around the country. There are three component samples: 850 African Americans, 850 Hispanics, and 850 members of the general population (including 53 African Americans and 34 Hispanics). There is a statistical margin of error of 3.5 percent. This is the Joint Center's 12th national poll since 1984.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, conducts research and analyses on public policy issues of concern to African Americans and other minorities, promotes their involvement in the governance process, and operates programs that create coalitions within minority, business and other diverse communities. For more information, visit http://www.jointcenter.org.