Concern over race relations in the U.S. has spiked in the last two years to reach a 15-year high, according to a new Gallup poll.
Thirty-five percent of Americans say they feel a "great deal" of worry about race relations, the highest percentage to say so since Gallup first asked the question in 2001.
Concern about race relations had stayed relatively steady for more than a decade. However, Democrats, Republicans, independents, blacks and whites have all grown increasingly concerned in the last two years. Overall, the number of Americans expressing a "great deal" of worry about the issue has risen 7 percentage points since last year and has more than doubled from two years ago.
This uptick in concern coincides with high-profile fatal shootings of black Americans by police officers, which have led to public outrage and protests. The Black Lives Matter movement was founded in 2013 to draw attention to and work toward ending violence against black people, and it has especially gained momentum in the last two years.
Race has also been under the spotlight this election season, particularly as Republican front-runner Donald Trump has made a series of racist comments and policy proposals. Some white nationalist groups have also expressed their support for the candidate, and some minorities have reported suffering from racially motivated attacks at Trump rallies.
Americans still cite issues such at the economy and health care as more important to them than race relations, but the increased concern on the issue is significant enough to indicate a shift in public opinion on the matter.
Gallup surveyed 1,019 adults via live interviews on landlines and cell phones on March 2-6.
Before You Go
