Poll: 2 Out Of 3 Americans Oppose Reparations For Slavery

ashley.rae | September 19, 2016
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A recent poll found two-thirds of Americans believe the U.S. government should not offer reparations to the descendants of slaves.

YouGov poll asked 1,000 Americans from Sept. 1-6 whether they believe the government should “make cash payments” to the descendants of slaves.

The poll found 66 percent of Americans believe the government “should not” pay reparations. Only 18 percent responded the government “should” pay reparations.

The poll found 80 percent of whites, 50 percent of Hispanics, and 67 of those in the “other” category all oppose reparations. However, 63 percent of blacks responded they support reparations.

While a majority of Republicans (89 percent) and Independents (74 percent) responded that they oppose reparations, Democrats were divided on the issue. Although a plurality of Democrats responded that they oppose reparations (40 percent), 37 percent responded that they support them.

The poll also asked how large of a role slavery has played in creating the “lower average wealth levels for blacks” today.

The poll found 42 percent of Americans responded slavery is “not a factor at all,” while 26 responded it is a “major factor” and 24 percent responded it is a “minor fact.” In total, 50 percent of Americans responded that they believe slavery plays some role in the success and wealth of blacks in America today.

The results of the latest poll are similar to one YouGov conducted two years ago in 2014, when YouGov found 68 percent of Americans opposed reparations while 15 percent supported them. The poll also found 46 percent of Americans viewed slavery as a factor in the lower wealth level of blacks at the time while 44 percent responded it is “not a factor at all.”

The YouGov poll was conducted via Web-based interviews. The margin of error is ± 4.8% (adjusted for weighting).

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