Voters who favor Joe Biden and those who favor Donald Trump hold very different views about race and ethnicity in American society. Some of the starkest differences across all the political values in this study are over the degree to which Black Americans continue to be affected by the legacy of slavery and whether White Americans benefit from societal advantages Black Americans do not have.
And gaps between Biden and Trump supporters over perceptions of the impact of the nation’s growing diversity are nearly as wide.
Voters’ views about race and society, the impact of the legacy of slavery
- Among registered voters, eight-in-ten Biden supporters say that White people benefit at least a fair amount from advantages in society that Black people do not have. By contrast, only 22% of Trump supporters say this.
- There is a similar divide in opinion about the continued impact the legacy of slavery has on Black Americans: Most Biden supporters (79%) say it continues to have at least a fair amount of impact. Among Trump supporters, a far smaller share (27%) say slavery’s legacy continues to affect Black people in the U.S.
The divides are not new: In 2020, the gap between Trump and Biden supporters on questions related to race was also wide.
Shifting views about whether White people have societal advantages
Overall, about half of registered voters (51%) say that White people benefit at least a fair amount from advantages in society that Black people do not have, though the share who say this is down 4 percentage points in the last two years and 8 points since 2020. The share of voters who say White people benefit a great deal from advantages in society has decreased from 32% in 2022 to 24% today.
- Most of this change has taken place among Democrats. From the summer of 2020 through the fall of 2022, roughly six-in-ten Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters said that White people benefited a great deal from advantages in society that Black people did not have. But fewer (44%) say this today – a decrease of 15 points in two years.
- Just 5% of Republican voters say that White people benefit a great deal from advantages in society – essentially unchanged in recent years.
Black voters are more likely than voters in other racial and ethnic groups to say that White people benefit from advantages in society that Black people do not have.
Race and ethnicity
Nearly two-thirds of Black voters (66%) say that White people benefit a great deal from advantages in society that Black people do not have. By comparison, about three-in-ten Asian (31%) and Hispanic voters (30%) say this, along with just 16% of White voters.
Majorities of Asian (79%) and Hispanic voters (66%) say that White people benefit at least a fair amount, while 42% of White voters and 84% of Black voters say this.
Age
There are relatively modest overall differences among age groups on this question. Voters under 50 are somewhat more likely than those 50 and older to say White people benefit from advantages Black people do not have.
Education
Roughly a third of voters with postgraduate degrees (35%) say that White people benefit a great deal from advantages Black people do not have. By comparison, those with less formal education are less likely to say this.
There are similar patterns in voters’ views of whether the historical legacy of slavery continues to affect the position of Black people in American society.
Two-thirds of Black voters say that the legacy of slavery has a great deal of impact today. Far smaller shares in other racial and ethnic groups say this.
Nearly four-in-ten voters ages 18 to 29 (37%) say this, the largest share in any age group.
Roughly a third of voters with postgraduate degrees (34%) see a great deal of impact from the legacy of slavery, a larger share than among those with less formal education.
Within demographic groups, Biden and Trump supporters differ widely on views about race
For the most part, demographic differences within each candidate’s coalition are relatively modest, with one exception: Black Biden supporters are much more likely than other Biden supporters to say that the legacy of slavery has large effects on Black people today and that White people benefit from advantages Black people do not have.
Seven-in-ten Black Biden supporters say that the legacy of slavery has a great deal of impact on Black people today. This is about twice the share as among White, Hispanic and Asian Biden backers.
The pattern is nearly identical for views about whether White Americans benefit from societal advantages Black people do not have.
However, across all demographic groups, Biden supporters are more likely than Trump supporters to hold these views.
Most voters, but not all, view the nation’s diversity as a strength
Nearly two-thirds of voters (65%) say the fact that the U.S. population is made up of people of many different races, ethnicities and religions strengthens American society. About one-in-ten (11%) say this weakens American society, while 23% say it doesn’t make much difference.
Race and ethnicity
Majorities across racial and ethnic groups say that this strengthens society, including 67% of Hispanic voters, 66% of Black voters and 64% of White voters. Asian voters are particularly likely to say this (76%).
Age
While at least six-in-ten of those across all age groups say racial, ethnic and religious diversity is an American strength, younger voters are somewhat more likely than older voters to say this.
Education
Nearly eight-in-ten voters with postgraduate degrees (78%) say that having a diverse population is a strength, as do 73% of those with undergraduate degrees.
Although narrower majorities of those with some college experience (63%) or a high school education or less (55%) view diversity as a strength, just 13% in these groups say it is a weakness (the remainder say it doesn’t make much difference).
Biden voters vs. Trump voters
Voters who favor Biden overwhelmingly say that diversity strengthens society: 82% say this and just 4% say it weakens the U.S.
In contrast, the views of Trump supporters are more split: While about half (49%) say diversity strengthens American society, about a third of Trump supporters (32%) say that having a diverse society doesn’t make much difference, and about two-in-ten (19%) say it weakens society.
Similarly, majorities in both coalitions say that White people declining as a share of the U.S. population is neither good nor bad for society: 73% of Biden supporters and 57% of Trump supporters say this. Yet Trump supporters are much more likely to describe this trend as bad for society. Nearly four-in-ten Trump supporters (39%) say the decline in the share of White people is bad, compared with 10% of Biden supporters.
