As the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington approaches, a new report found that most Americans still believe in Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream.
A study from Pew Research Center earlier this month examined the views of Americans on King's legacy and the country's legacy on racial equality by surveying 5,073 U.S. adults. It found that most Americans say King has had a positive impact on the country, with 47 percent saying he has had a very positive impact.
Americans & MLK's Impact
When divided by race, 59 percent of Black Americans say their personal views on racial equality have been influenced by King, compared to 38 percent of Hispanic, 34 percent of White, and 34 percent of Asian Americans.
Just over half of Americans say there has been a "great deal" or a "fair amount" of progress on racial equality since the March on Washington. A third say there has been "some progress" and 15 percent say there has been "not much" or "no progress at all."
White Americans most commonly said that there has been a "great deal" or a "fair amount" of progress on racial equality at 58 percent. This compares to 47 percent of Asian adults and 45 percent of Hispanic adults, with Black adults least likely to agree at just 30 percent. Republicans were more likely than Democrats to agree, at 67 percent and 38 percent, respectively.
Black adults were also most likely to say that "efforts to ensure equality for all, regardless of race and ethnicity, haven’t gone far enough," with 83 percent agreeing. Only 58 percent of Hispanic and 55 percent of Asian adults agreed, with White adults reporting the lowest rate of agreement at 44 percent. Most Democrats (78 percent) said these efforts haven’t gone far enough, compared to 24 percent of Republicans.
Over 37 percent of Republicans say these efforts have gone too far.
