(PatriotWise.com) — A recent poll found that California residents oppose the state’s proposed slavery reparations, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The California Reparations Task Force established in 2020 suggested providing cash payouts to all descendants of slaves, citing mass incarceration, health disparities, over-policing, and housing discrimination.
A poll conducted by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found that only 28 percent of California voters support cash reparations, while the majority, 59 percent, oppose them. Of those who oppose paying cash reparations to black residents, 44 percent said they strongly oppose it.
Mark DiCamillo, the director of the Institute of Governmental Studies, told the LA Times that the state’s proposed reparations face a “steep uphill climb” among the public. DiCamillo said it is the cash reparations in particular that voters strongly oppose, adding that they may be open to other possible solutions.
Among white California voters, 65 percent oppose cash reparations, 51 percent of whom strongly oppose it. Only 25 percent of California whites favor the task force’s recommendations.
A majority, 59 percent, of both Latinos and Asian-Pacific voters oppose cash reparations, with only 24 percent of Latinos and 23 percent of Asian-Pacific voters favoring the proposal.
A majority of black voters, 76 percent, approve of the task force’s proposal, with 51 percent strongly approving.
When asked why they oppose cash reparations, 60 percent said it was unfair to expect taxpayers to pay for the wrongs of the past. Another 53 percent said it was unfair to single out one group for cash reparations when other racial and religious groups have also been wronged in the past.
Broken down by party, 43 percent of Democrats favor reparations, while 41 percent oppose them. Only 22 percent of Independents support reparations, while the majority, 65 percent, oppose them. The vast majority of Republicans, 90 percent, oppose cash reparations, while only 5 percent support the proposal.
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