An increasing number of Americans believe Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of equal opportunity in the United States has become a reality, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey released Monday.
Forty percent of American adults say people of all races now have equal opportunity, as MLK talked about in his "I Have A Dream" speech; 48% disagree, an improvement from last year, when 54% said the nation had not yet achieved King's dream.
Other results include:
- Eighty-three percent view MLK favorably, including 50% who have a very favorable impression.
- Majorities of every race – 82% of whites, 86% of blacks, and 84% of other minorities – have a favorable opinion of MLK. But blacks (70%) are more likely than whites or other minorities (both 47%) to have a very favorable impression.
- Thirty-four percent say that MLK Day is one of the nation's most important holidays (as compared to 30% last year), while 13% say it as one of the least important and 48% consider it somewhere in between.
- More Democrats (52%) than Republicans (23%) or the unaffiliated (26%) think MLK Day is one of the most important holidays.
- Among Black people, 59% consider MLK Day to be one of the nation's most important holidays, while 31% of white people and 28% of other minorities agree.
- Black people (30%) are less likely than white people (41%) or other minorities (42%) to say the U.S. has reached a time when men and women of all races have equal opportunity.
- Republicans (49%) are more likely than Democrats (37%) or independents (36%) to say the U.S. has achieved equal opportunity.
The survey of 1,000 adults was conducted on Jan. 10-12 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is plus/minus percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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