In late November, 2022, the Pew Research Center released the results of a survey of American’s views on reparations for slavery and racial discrimination (https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/11/28/black-and-white-americans-are-far-apart-in-their-views-of-reparations-for-slavery/).
The analysis provided a more refined look at some of the data from a 2021 survey from the center. What stands out in the headlines of the report is that “views of reparations for slavery vary widely by race and ethnicity, especially between Black and White Americans.” 77% of Black Americans as compared with 18% of white Americans support reparations for descendants of enslaved people (the question asks whether “descendants of people enslaved in the U.S. should be repaid in some way, such as given land or money”).
From the perspective of higher education and reparations, the data shows that for people in the ages from 18-29 – the traditional age of postsecondary students – the overall number of respondents who support reparations was higher (45% instead of 30% of all adults) than any other age range in the survey. This may indicate overall greater support for reparations among college-aged individuals. The survey also shows that higher levels of education correlate with greater support for reparations (as do lower income levels).
It was also true that for Black Americans ages 18-29, they were the highest percentage of respondents (67%) who said that the “legacy of slavery affects the position of Black people in American society today either a fair amount or a great deal.”
Another question asked “among U.S. adults who say descendants of people enslaved in the U.S. should be repaid,” who has “all/most of the responsibility for repayment?” For reparations supporters, 53% said that colleges and universities that benefitted from slavery have responsibility. For adults aged 18-29, the result was 62%. For respondents with some college experience, the result was 65%. And reparations supporters were most likely (82%) to say that educational scholarships would be very or extremely helpful.
All of this is consistent with a story in Forbes magazine that claimed that “Universities might be ideal institutions to experiment with different approaches [to reparations]…Polling shows that while a strong majority of younger people oppose reparations, they do so by a significantly lower margin than older voters. Therefore, universities might have more leeway to implement reparations without overwhelming blowback.” (Forbes Magazine, Nov 2, 2019, Will America’s Universities Point The Way Towards Reparations For Slavery? https://www.forbes.com/sites/evangerstmann/2019/11/02/will-americas-universities-point-the-way-towards-reparations-for-slavery/?sh=23b2daac1957.)
Project H.E.R.E. (Higher Education Reparations Engagement) 