MTSUPoll

Middle Tennessee racial attitudes present contrasting perspectives

• Whites have mixed feelings about affirmative action. Most whites and blacks agree that affirmative action provides women and minorities with needed help, although nearly two-thirds of whites (64%) say the policy amounts to reverse discrimination.
• What's the state's top problem? Blacks say crime, whites education. Among blacks, crime is named most often as the number-one problem facing the state of Tennessee (26%). Among whites, by contrast, the most common pick is education (23%).
• Many whites, blacks feel race relations improving. Most African Americans and whites in Middle Tennessee say that race relations are about the same (48% white; 51% black) or improving (39% for each group).
• Blacks more wary than whites of police. Only 17% of blacks express a great deal of confidence in police compared to 37% of whites.
• More whites say lack of motivation hinders blacks. Among white Middle Tennesseans, half believe that racial disparities result from lack of motivation among African Americans. In contrast, 58% of African Americans disagreed.

The MTSU Poll's mission is to provide independent, non-partisan, and unbiased public opinion data regarding major social, political, and ethical issues affecting Tennessee.

Surveys are conducted twice yearly under the direction of faculty specialists in public opinion research in accordance with scientifically validated polling standards. Students serve as poll interviewers as an integral part of their training in mass communication.

The poll's directors welcome suggestions about issues and topics from any individual or group. The poll's directors are, however, charged to select, formulate, and interpret results independent of outside interests.

The poll fulfills the major goals of Middle Tennessee State University in that it provides an opportunity for student- and faculty- centered research in partnership with the citizens of Tennessee and the news media that serve them.

The following people supervise the MTSU Poll:

• Ken Blake
  • Director, The MTSU Poll
  • Associate Director, Office of Communication Research
• Robert Wyatt
  • Associate Director, the MTSU Poll
  • Director, Office of Communication Research

Sponsored by the Office of Communication Research at Middle Tennessee State University's College of Mass Communication, the poll tracks attitudes regarding free expression, faith in major institutions, and a wide range of public issues.

The poll is supported by MTSU's Office of Communication Research, College of Mass Communication, and School of Journalism.

• Students wishing to register for an MTSU Poll session should receive and ID and password either 1) from their instructor or 2) at the front desk in the Mass Comm office. Once you have an ID and password, click here.
• The polling lab is in BAS S302. To learn how to find the polling lab and what to expect when you get, go to: http://www.mtsu.edu/~commres/findlab.htm
• MTSU faculty using the MTSU Poll in their classes will find helpful material at: www.mtsu.edu/~commres/271/271.htm. A password is required.

NOTE: Data files may be downloaded and analyzed with these restrictions: Researchers wishing to make academic or scientific use of these data must request and obtain permission in writing from the Director of the Office of Communication Research prior to presentation or publication. For general descriptive use, we ask only that the Middle Tennessee Poll at Middle Tennessee State University be cited as the source of the data.