A new poll by the Detroit Journalism Cooperative says 56% of whites and 47% of blacks in Detroit say race relations are generally good in the metro region. Overall, more than 70% say race relations have improved or been maintained over the past decade. And, when asked about race relations on the job, nearly 70% of blacks, 64% of whites, and 75% of Hispanics and Arab Americans agreed that relations were very or somewhat friendly. Reynolds Farley says this relatively positive outlook is influence by the regular interaction of black and white Detroiters: “We have a higher degree of integration in metro Detroit… than a lot of metropolitan areas.” The data included in the piece highlight some racial disparities in the outlook, however, with whites being generally more optimistic in their evaluations of race relations than blacks.

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