Americans split over divided society

Republicans and Democrats are sharply split over who loses out most to prejudice in US society.

Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was elected after vociferously opposing critical race theory. Picture: AFP

Opinions over which groups are the most discriminated against in the US differ widely depending on the political affiliation of the person being asked, according to an opinion poll.

Republicans and Democrats are sharply divided over who loses out most to prejudice in American society. More than 80 per cent of Democrats say discrimination is worse for black, Latino, gay and Jewish people. In contrast, Republican voters say it is white people and Christians who suffer most from prejudice.

The poll, for The Wall Street Journal, found 88 per cent of Democrats believed that in purely racial terms, black people faced discrimination or injustice. Fewer than half of Republicans – 49 per cent – agreed.

By contrast, just over a fifth of the Democrats said white people were disadvantaged by their colour. Some 59 per cent of Republicans agreed.

The findings underscore the deep divisions in American society. The Black Lives Matter movement – which grew in prominence after George Floyd, a black man, was murdered by a white policeman in Minneapolis in 2020 – was embraced by the left. Many on the right see the campaign as divisive.

The teaching in schools of critical race theory – the idea that prejudice against black people is ingrained in society – is similarly divisive. Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida, and Glenn Youngkin, Governor of Virginia, were elected after vociferously opposing the theory. Both are seen as potential future Republican presidential candidates.

In the Journal’s poll, 61 per cent of Republicans said discrimination was a problem for Christians in the US, while only 25 per cent of Democrats agreed.

Meanwhile, 85 per cent of Democrats, and 38 per cent of Republicans, said gay and lesbian Americans faced discrimination.

Ted Kissel, 76, told the pollsters that Christians faced increasing prejudice.

“There doesn’t seem to be any space in the public square for anybody of faith,” he said.

Kari Lake was the Republican candidate for governor of Arizona in last month’s mid-terms and campaigned hard against critical race theory in schools. She lost the election but refused to accept the result, alleging misconduct by election officials.

On Saturday a judge dismissed her attempt to rerun the election, saying her claims were groundless. Ms Lake, a strong supporter of former president Donald Trump, said she would appeal.

Mr Trump’s attempt to win the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election has suffered a setback after reports that Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, has rejected overtures to be involved in the campaign. He was a senior adviser to Mr Trump during his presidency. Mr Kushner, 41, who is Jewish, is understood to have refused to take calls from Mr Trump’s campaign after the former president dined with people who have been accused of anti-Semitism.

Kanye West, a rapper and businessman, and Nick Fuentes, a political commentator and Holocaust denier, met Mr Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida in November.

“He was like, ‘Look, I’m out. I’m really out,’ ” a person with knowledge of the Kushner situation told New York Magazine.

The Times