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Overall, about 2 in 10 teens said that their race or ethnicity would help them get ahead in life, roughly 2 in 10 said it would hurt them, and almost 6 in 10 said their race would make no difference in their ability to get ahead.
Black and Asian teens were more pessimistic, with 54 percent of Black teens and 41 percent of Asian teens saying their racial identities would hurt them in terms of getting ahead. By contrast, a far smaller 22 percent of Hispanic teens and 10 percent of White teens expected their race or ethnicity to hurt them, with majorities of both groups saying they expected that their race “will make no difference.”
The nationwide Post-Ipsos poll found a connection between teens’ experiences with racial discrimination and expectations that their race would affect future opportunities. About 2 in 10 teenagers said they had been treated unfairly in the past year because of their racial or ethnic background, including larger shares of Black teens (36 percent) and Asian teens (34 percent). Nine in 10 White teens said they were not treated unfairly because of their race, along with almost 8 in 10 Hispanic teens. Among non-White teens who said they were treated unfairly, 60 percent said they believed their race would hurt their ability to get ahead.
A 57 percent majority of all teens, including 78 percent of non-White teens, said that White people benefit “a great deal” or “a fair amount” from advantages in society that Black people don’t have. That was similar to views among U.S. adults in an August 2020 Pew Research Center poll, where 59 percent of adults said White people benefit from advantages.
The Post-Ipsos poll found substantial differences by race among teens when asked about White privilege. Roughly 9 in 10 Black teens, 8 in 10 Asian teens and 7 in 10 Hispanic teens said that “White people benefit from advantages in society that Black people do not have,” while just under 4 in 10 White teens said the same. About 6 in 10 White teenagers said that White people benefit “not too much” or “not at all” from advantages.
About 6 in 10 teens also said that Black people are often treated unfairly because of who they are, including nearly 9 in 10 Black teens and about 7 in 10 Hispanic and Asian teens. White teens were split, with 49 percent saying Black people are “very” or “somewhat” often treated unfairly and 51 percent saying discrimination against Black people occurs “occasionally” or “rarely.”
A far smaller 14 percent of teens said that White people often face unfair treatment in society, including 4 percent of Asian teens, 10 percent of Black and Hispanic teens, and 18 percent of White teens.
Half of teens were optimistic that their generation would grow to treat people with different racial and ethnic backgrounds more equally compared with Americans who are adults today, while 12 percent said they expected their generation to treat people less equally. Another 38 percent said they expected their generation to act about the same as adults today. Black teens were less optimistic than other teenagers about their generation treating each other more equally.
Just under 6 in 10 teenagers said that racial discrimination is “a major threat” to their generation, including larger shares of Black (85 percent), Hispanic (69 percent) and Asian teens (68 percent) than White teens (43 percent).
Despite concerns about racial discrimination, the Post-Ipsos poll found a strong current of optimism about teens’ personal prospects. Roughly 9 in 10 White, Black, Hispanic and Asian teens said it is very or fairly likely that they will achieve a good standard of living as adults. Optimism was strongest among Black teenagers, with about 6 in 10 saying it is “very likely” they will achieve a good standard of living.
This Washington Post-Ipsos poll was conducted online between May 7 and June 15, 2021, among a random national sample of 1,349 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18 years old. The margin of error for overall results is plus or minus three percentage points; the error margin ranges from 4.5 to 11.5 points for results among racial and ethnic subgroups.
Scott Clement contributed to this report.
