Rasmussen Reports, October 21, 2010

Fifty-one percent (51%) of Americans believe the U.S. government is too sensitive to the concerns of racial, ethnic and social minorities in the country.

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Perhaps not surprisingly, 56% of African-Americans say the government is not sensitive enough to minority concerns, while 61% of whites think the government is overly concerned. Those of other ethnicities are narrowly divided on the question.

Most Americans (69%) also think it is better to allow free speech without government interference rather than let the government decide what types of so-called “hate speech” should be banned. {snip}

Just 17% think it is better to let the government decide what types of hate speech should be banned. Fourteen percent (14%) are undecided. {snip} Critics argue that hate speech legislation is largely politically motivated and violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of speech.

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A plurality (47%) of adults continue to think criminals should be prosecuted more severely if it can be proven that their crime was motivated by the victim’s race, color, religion, national origin or sexual orientation. This view has held steady from last November.

Thirty-eight percent (38%) disagree and do not think a criminal should be prosecuted any more severely for this reason. Another 15% are not sure.

In June 2009, half of Americans (50%) felt hate was growing in the country, but 35% disagreed and 15% more weren’t sure. {snip}

Still, 59% say factors such as race and ethnicity should be used to determine which boarding passengers to search at airports, and many believe profiling is a necessary part of today’s society.

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