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Sunday, December 22, 2002

By Lynda Guydon Taylor, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

While blacks and whites may not see eye to eye on many racial issues, one area on which a sizable majority of both races have come to agree is interracial dating and, to a slightly lesser extent, interracial marriage.

That's the finding of a 1999 survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, based in Washington, D.C.

Pew has documented a gradual shift in racial tolerance since the 1980s in value issues such as interracial dating, said Carroll Doherty, editor of the center.

The survey, done in September and October of 1999, found 70 percent of whites and 82 percent of African Americans approve of interracial dating. In the general population, 73 percent approve, a figure that is up from 48 percent when a 1987 survey was conducted.

The survey polled Americans on a variety of issues including race. In another part of the survey, there also was strong support for interracial marriage with 77 percent of non whites and 60 percent of whites voicing approval. In the general public, including blacks, whites and other minorities, 63 percent said interracial marriages are good because they break down racial barriers.

Tolerance for interracial dating and marriage is what Doherty calls a value issue, and when it comes to such value issues, there seems to a larger degree of consensus between blacks and whites. When asked to respond to the statement "I don't have much in common with other races," 12 percent in the general population said they agree and 85 percent said they don't agree. By contrast, in May 1987, 23 percent agreed.

On the other hand, the survey found more divergent views when it came to public policy issues. Several of those questions have to do with perceptions of racial progress and the role of government. For example, 67 percent of African Americans said there has not been much real improvement in their position in society, while only 34 percent of whites voiced the same view. When asked whether the government should make every effort to help minorities, 62 percent of blacks agreed with government intervention and 69 percent of whites opposed it.

People do tend to compartmentalize their views on race relations, separating racial progress and government intervention from value issues such as interracial dating and marriage, Doherty said.

Part of the reason the tide may be turning on interracial dating and marriage may be young adults, the under-30 crowd, Doherty said. People staunchly opposed to the races mixing when it comes to dating and marriage are not around anymore.

The increasing trend toward tolerance also can be seen in regard to Muslims. The Pew Center tracked attitudes toward Muslims since Sept. 11. A survey in the fall of 2001 found more tolerance toward Muslims after Sept. 11 than before the event. That may in part be due to views expressed by President Bush and publicity in the media.

Doherty said it's likely the center will do another survey about racial issues next year.

Lynda Guydon Taylor can be reached at ltaylor@post-gazette.com or 724-746-8813.