Ron Brownstein has an interesting piece about the gap in public opinion between whites and non-whites. But I think a lot of the analysis would benefit from additional demographic controls:
Only four in 10 whites say they support the health care reform legislation in Congress, compared with three-fourths of nonwhites. And just 30 percent of whites, compared with 45 percent of nonwhites, say that an Obama-like agenda of public investment in education and technology offers the nation its best chance at long-term prosperity. Far more whites than nonwhites would bet on a conservative approach of tax cuts and deregulation. The starkest finding of all is that three-fifths of nonwhites (including three-fourths of African-Americans) believe that Obama’s agenda will increase opportunities for people like them; but a plurality of whites — 38 percent — say his agenda will decrease their opportunities. College-educated white men believe, by 2-to-1, that Obama’s approach is reducing their prospects.
There are a lot of demographic differences between whites and non-whites. This raises a lot of interesting issues as to the extent to which non-racial issues are driving these differences. Are uninsured whites much less supportive of health insurance than uninsured non-whites? Do wealthy Latinos support tax cuts?
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