According to Warner, the survey has been conducted since 1994 and is “the first to look at the survival expectations differently by race, ethnicity, and nativity,” she told HuffPost. The data from the report points to a variety of factors that could influence the high pessimism of black communities such as experiences of police brutality or a greater likelihood of a living in dangerous neighborhoods. Also, the rates for foreign-born and Mexican-American citizens may be higher due to attitudes of xenophobia and for some the threat of deportation.
“In terms of our explanation for the pessimistic attitudes of particular groups… We’re attributing this to structural disadvantages, exposure to neighborhood poverty and family poverty, exposure to violence,” Warner said. “We also discuss in the paper experiences with the criminal justice system, experiences or expectations with police violence.”
The report is both upsetting and timely in light of recent incidents of black men, women, and children being threatened or killed in racially motivated mass shootings or police violence. The findings from the survey show that why it is essential to emphasize that black lives matter, so that young people of color do not fear for their own to a greater degree than their white peers.
The full report is available at the American Sociological Association’s website.
Article Appeared @http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/half-of-young-black-americans-dont-expect-to-live-through-their-30s_564b9a8ae4b045bf3df1817a