You would think this is a no-brainer 100% poll question, like saying you like George Washington, but though MLK is very, very popular not quite everybody is one the same page.
It looks like there's about 15% of the nation that are what I'd call "comfortable racists;" white people who are so up front they are willing to tell a stranger on the phone they don't like MLK, and who even say race relations were better in the 1950s. (A white person saying race relations were better in the 1950s is pretty gross!)
What really surprises me here is that 28% of African Americans say race relations today are worse than in the 1950s and 1960s. I was born in the deep south and actually remember segregated facilities like pools, bathrooms and water fountains, so I don't know what to make of that. It would be interesting to see if there's a big age-split in that number, with older AA people who remember the 50s-60s saying things are better.
Another striking result: 90% of the time, married people are more Republican/conservative, single people are more Democratic/liberal. The result here suggesting that MLK is more popular with married people than unmarried people is one of the few times I've seen single people hold the more reactionary opinion. No idea why.
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79% Have Favorable Opinion of Dr. Martin Luther King
Monday, January 21, 2008
Seventy-nine percent (79%) of Americans have a favorable opinion of Dr. Martin Luther King. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 15% offer an unfavorable opinion.
Positive views of the Civil Rights Leaders are found across partisan and demographic lines. He is viewed favorably by 84% of women, 73% of men, 84% of Democrats, 73% of Republicans, 83% of Investors, 75% of non-Investors, 83% of those who are married, 74% of unmarried, 81% of those under 30 and 78% of those over 65.
Among African-Americans, 74% of those surveyed had a Very Favorable opinion of Dr. King while 26% had a Somewhat Favorable opinion. Thirty-four percent (34%) of White voters have a Very Favorable opinion of King while 41% have a Somewhat Favorable opinion.
There is also high regard for the practical legacy of Dr. King and other Civil Rights leaders of his era. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of Americans say that race relations in the United States are better today than they were in the 1950s and ‘60s. Just 14% believe things have gotten worse. Twelve percent (12%) say things are about the same.
Among White Americans, 71% say things have gotten better while 11% say worse. Fifty-three percent (53%) of African-Americans say things have gotten better while 28% say worse.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/79_have_favorable_opinion_of_dr_martin_luther_king