Racial Disparities in Environmental Concerns Highlighted in New Gallup Survey

Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent A new Gallup survey has revealed that Black Americans are more likely to express concerns and experience an environmental crisis where they face challenges in relocating. Gallup found that Black Americans are notably more likely than other racial or ethnic groups to express concerns about environmental threats and to experience acute ecological crises. According to the survey, 53% of Black adults are “very” or “fairly concerned” about exposure to air pollution in their communities. The concern is significantly higher than that among Hispanic adults, at 46%, and White adults, at 35%. Further, concerns about drinking water contamination among Black Americans are 15 percentage points higher than the national average and 20 points higher than among White Americans. Black adults also reported elevated levels of concern about exposure to land or soil contamination (42%) and exposure to toxic building materials (39%) compared to other racial and ethnic groups. While urban residents across racial and ethnic groups generally express higher levels of concern about local environmental threats, racial disparities persist across all community types. In suburban areas, for instance, 54% of Black adults express concern about air pollution, compared to 49% of Hispanic adults...