Pew Survey: Just 18% of Hispanics Following Ferguson Events Closely

Just 18% of Hispanics are following the events in Ferguson, Missouri, closely after Michael Brown’s death, according to a Pew Research survey. 

The poll, which was conducted August 14-17, found 27% of Americans are following the confrontations closely, including 25% of whites and 54% of blacks. MSNBC has given the most airtime to the protests, riots, and confrontations since last week.

The survey found that 80% of blacks “say the shooting in Ferguson raises important issues about race that merit discussion” while 47% of whites do. In addition, 65% of blacks “say the police have gone too far in responding to the shooting’s aftermath” while “whites are divided: 33% say the police have gone too far, 32% say the police response has been about right, while 35% offer no response.”

Another Pew survey found that 70% of blacks “said that blacks in their community were treated less fairly than whites in dealings with the police. In comparison, 37% of whites and 51% of Hispanics held that view.” In addition, “68% of blacks said that the court system was unfair to blacks” compare to 27% of whites and 40% of Hispanics.