Brown v. Board of Education: then and now.(Opinion Pulse)

Fifty-four percent of Americans approved of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Only 24 percent in the South approved. Fifty-four percent of white Americans said they would object to sending their children to majority-black schools. A Gallup question asked since 1962 shows that blacks and whites continue to differ about whether black children have the same educational opportunities as white children in their communities.

 
Question: The United States Supreme Court has ruled that racial 
segregation in the public schools is illegal. This means that all 
children, no matter what their race, must be allowed to go to the 
same schools. Do you ...? 
 
National response 
 
Approve of the Supreme Court 
decision ruling racial 
segregation in public schools 
illegal                          54% 
Disapprove                       41% 
No opinion                        5% 
 
Note: Twenty-four percent of those in the 
South approved. Seventy-two percent in 
the Fast, 57 percent in the Midwest, and 
65 percent in the West approved. 
 
Question: Would you ...? 
 
Response of whites 
 
Object to having my children 
attend a school where the 
majority of pupils are 
Negroes                        54% 
Do not object                  41% 
No opinion                      5% 
 
Source: The Gallup Organization, 1954. 
 
Note: Tables made from pie chart. 
 
Question: In general, do you think ...? 
 
Black children have as good a chance as white children in 
my community to get a good education 
 
White response   (85%)   (81%) 
Black response   (53%)   (50%) 
 
Source: The Gallup Organization, latest that of 2003. 
 
Note: Table made from line graph. 

People still prefer sending children to local schools rather than busing them to schools outside their communities to create more integration. At the same time, people like the idea of sending their children to schools with a mixture of people from different races and ethnic groups. Overwhelming majorities of black and white parents today want to put more emphasis on academic standards and achievements than on racial diversity and integration.

 
Question: Do you think ...? 
 
School integration has improved the quality 
of education received by black students       72% 
Has not                                       25% 
Not sure                                       3% 
 
Note: Sixty-five percent of non-whites and 74 percent 
of whites said school integration had improved the 
duality of education received by black students. 
 
Source: AP/Ipsos Public Affairs, April 2004. 
 
Note: Table made from pie chart. 
 
Question: Which statement comes closer to ...