Poll shows huge racial divide over Zimmerman verdict, reaction

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An overwhelming number of blacks, 86 percent, were “dissatisfied” with the acquittal of George Zimmerman, compared to only 30 percent of whites, according to a Pew Research Center poll released on Monday, illustrating a huge gap in racial perceptions of what happened on the day Travyon Martin died and suggesting President Obama was accurate in his speech on Friday when he played down the idea that America is post-racial.

The poll also showed stark differences in how blacks and whites viewed the broader debate about the role of race that the case has ignited. Sixty percent of whites said race was getting “more attention than it deserves” in regards to this case, while only 13 percent of blacks agreed with that sentiment. Seventy-eight percent of blacks said the case “raises important issues about race that need to be discussed,” compared to 28 percent of whites and 47 percent of Hispanics.

The poll also illustrated that the Zimmerman-Martin case, which was covered intensely but in much different ways by Fox and MSNBC, ended up polarizing people along similar lines to last fall’s presidential election between President Obama and Mitt Romney.

Among Tea Party Republicans, 81 percent described themselves as satisfied with the verdict in the case, as were 61 percent of Republicans overall.

Meanwhile, resembling the coalition Obama won last November, 68 percent of Democrats said they were dissatisfied with verdict, as were 58 percent of Hispanics. Like in electoral politics, younger whites, who lean to the left politically, were more likely to be concerned about the verdict than older whites. (This divide is also playing out in public among celebrity figures, with Fox News host and prominent Republican Sean Hannity praising the jury for its acquittal, while Jay Z and Beyoncé Knowles, strong Obama backers, attended a rally honoring Martin and his family.)

Overall, the survey showed Americans about evenly divided on the verdict, with 42 percent dissatisfied, 39 percent satisfied and 19 percent answering “don’t know.” Only 36 percent overall said the case brought up issues of race that needed more discussion; 52 percent said race was being discussed too much.