Angry and Exhausted: How Americans Feel About Race

The history of race relations in the United States is long, complex and deeply woven into the nation’s fabric. From the legacy of slavery and the violent enforcement of segregation to the civil rights movement and ongoing struggles against systemic racism, America’s journey toward racial equality has been marked by both progress and setbacks. These historical realities continue to shape today’s perceptions of race and race relations, but there’s a growing divide in how Americans feel about the issue.

In a recent Pew Research survey, many respondents reported feeling exhausted or angry when thinking about race relations – emotions that reflect not only present-day tensions but also the unresolved weight of the past. While exhaustion is a feeling expressed by both sides of the political spectrum, anger and fear are emotions predominantly felt by Democrats or those leaning towards the Democratic party. Conversely, Republicans are much more likely to be hopeful or satisfied when thinking about racial issues than Democratic respondents. Almost 4 in 10 Republican respondents said they were uninterested in issues of race, which stands in stark contrast to just 15 percent of Democrats saying the same.

In recent years, many Republicans have grown wary of efforts to address systemic racial inequities, giving rise to the idea of white grievance. This term is used to describe the feeling among some white Americans that they’re being treated unfairly by initiatives designed to reduce long-standing inequalities. President Trump has fueled these sentiments by framing diversity initiatives as inherently unfair and white people as victims of reverse discrimination.