TL/DR –
The KFF’s 2023 Racism, Discrimination, and Health Survey shows that the majority of U.S. adults believe racism significantly impacts various aspects of society, including politics, the criminal justice system, and healthcare. The study found that Black adults were more likely to see racism as a fundamental issue, with disparities between racial and ethnic groups also reported. It was also found that experiences of discrimination or unfair treatment in daily life, healthcare, policing, and employment were linked to perceptions of racism.
Introduction
The recent impact of racism and discrimination in U.S. society has been drawing increased scrutiny. The deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, alongside the disparities highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, have led to a call to action against systemic racism and bias, particularly in the healthcare sector. The sector’s long history of policies contributing to existing disparities indicates that race continues to affect clinical decisions and treatments.
This article delves into the views of U.S. adults on racism across major societal sectors, covering politics, criminal justice, policing, education, housing, employment, and healthcare. The level of trust in healthcare providers, police, and courts, and how these levels differ across racial and ethnic groups, demographics, and experiences of discrimination and unjust treatment are also examined.
The findings are based on KFF’s 2023 Racism, Discrimination, and Health Survey, documenting the extent and implications of racism and discrimination, especially in relation to the healthcare system. An earlier report from the survey focused on individual experiences with racism and discrimination within healthcare and their impact on health and well-being.
Key Takeaways
Most adults deem racism to be a problem in U.S. politics, criminal justice, policing, education, housing, employment, and healthcare, with Black adults significantly more likely to view it as a significant issue. Majority of Black adults perceive racism as a major problem in these areas, being at least 20 percentage points more likely than White adults to hold this view. Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) adults also view racism as a problem in these areas, whereas White adults are generally less likely to do so.
Around half of adults view racism as a major issue in U.S. politics (56%), criminal justice (54%), and policing (51%), while fewer (32%) see it as a major issue in healthcare. More than half of Black adults, majorities of Hispanic, Asian, and AIAN adults, and almost half of White adults view racism as a major problem in politics, the criminal justice system, and policing. A smaller proportion see racism as a problem in healthcare, possibly due to higher trust levels in healthcare providers.
Partisanship strongly predicts views on racism in U.S. society, but among Republicans, these views vary by race and ethnicity. Across all societal aspects studied, majorities of Democrats across racial and ethnic groups see racism as a significant problem. Republicans overall are less likely to view racism as a problem, but among Republicans, Black, Hispanic, and Asian adults are more likely than White adults to see racism as a major problem.
Adults who have ever experienced discrimination generally and specifically in healthcare, policing, and employment are more likely to view racism as a major problem in these areas. For example, adults who have been treated unfairly or with disrespect by a healthcare provider in the past three years are more likely to view racism as a significant problem in healthcare.
Majorities of adults across racial and ethnic groups trust doctors and healthcare providers almost all or most of the time. At least two-thirds of adults say they trust healthcare providers almost all or most of the time. This high level of trust in healthcare providers may explain why fewer adults see racism as a problem in healthcare compared to other societal sectors.
Black adults and those with darker skin color or experiences of discrimination are less likely to trust healthcare providers. Black adults are less likely than White adults to trust healthcare providers, and among Black and Hispanic adults, those with self-reported darker skin color are less likely to trust providers. Past experiences with discrimination are also associated with lower trust in healthcare providers.
More visits with racially or linguistically concordant providers are associated with higher levels of trust in doctors and healthcare providers. Black and Asian adults who have more visits with racially concordant providers, and Spanish-speaking Hispanic adults who have more visits with linguistically concordant providers, trust their healthcare providers more.
Trust levels in the police and courts are lower among U.S. adults overall and across racial and ethnic groups, which may reflect higher proportions viewing racism as a significant problem in these institutions. Two-thirds of adults trust the police all or most of the time, whereas about half trust the courts, with substantially lower rates among Black adults (45% and 37%, respectively).
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