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Blacks in survey say race relations no better with Obama

I don't know why anyone would think that Obama's election would be an automatic panacea.

(CNN) – African-Americans really like President Obama, but more and more feel that race relations have not gotten better since he took office, a new national poll found.

Ninety-six percent of African-Americans approve of how Obama is handling his presidency, according to a CNN/Essence Magazine/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Thursday.

During the 2008 election, 38 percent of blacks surveyed thought racial discrimination was a serious problem. In the new survey, 55 percent of blacks surveyed believed it was a serious problem, which is about the same level as it was in 2000.

Optimism among black voters grows in Obama era

It's slow and sure, but it damn well makes me feel good.

Four months into President Obama’s tenure, the mood of African-Americans throughout the country has improved to historic levels, according to a new Pew Research Study.

Asked whether Americans can always find a way to solve problems, 62 percent of blacks agree, up 22 points in just two years. In fact, agreement was up 12 points across racial lines, reflecting a more optimistic attitude than in 2007, despite the murky economic situation.

“The optimism from a personal sense about the country is most pronounced among African Americans,” Pew Research Center President Andrew Kohut said. “We've been tracking attitudes now since 1987 and we haven't seen it bump up like it has now. It's hard not to give [Obama] credit.”

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The study on values and core attitudes shows African-Americans feel more invested in society — in fact, more blacks than whites say voting gives them a say in how the government makes decisions.

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In fact, after the election of the country's first black president, Americans of every race say racial attitudes and relations are improving. Just 31 percent of Americans say there hasn't been much improvement for African-Americans, an all-time low and down 10 points in the past two years.

Social views on racial issues have changed markedly since the Pew Center started the annual check on American values in 1987. That year, just 48 percent of respondents said it is all right for white people and black people to date each other; today, the number who support interracial dating has climbed to 83 percent.

Even among whites in the South, where just 30 percent backed interracial dating in 1989, the number has climbed, rising 39 points in recent years.