Black Americans have a mostly dim view of the nation’s trajectory when it comes to matters of race, though many say there are reasons to feel optimistic, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll reported in The Washington Post Friday (June 16).

Overall, the more than 1,200 Black adults surveyed said they feel threatened by potential hate crimes, discrimination and being pushed to the margins of society, the poll, conducted over two weeks in late April and early May, found.

When asked about racism in America, 51 percent of those polled said racism will get worse. Only 11 percent believe racism will decline, while 37 percent expect it to remain about the same during their lifetime.

The poll revealed a high level of concern for Black teenagers: 69 percent said it’s “more dangerous” to be a Black teen today than when they were teenagers.

When asked, 85 percent of them agreed that the near-fatal shooting in April of unarmed Ralph Yarl, 16, by 84-year-old Andrew Lester in Kansas City underscores the underlying racism Black people face. Authorities say, in an unprovoked attack, Lester shot at Yarl when the teenager mistakenly rang Lester’s doorbell.

Many Black Americans are also concerned about the wave of state education policies to stop the teaching of Black history (about 75 percent) and the banning of books (almost 70 percent) that touch on the topic of racism in schools.

Despite all of those fears, the poll found that 86 percent of Black Americans are very or somewhat satisfied with their lives.

Almost half of them said this is a “good time” in the nation to be a Black American, marking a 30 percent increase from 2020 when Geoge Floyd was killed by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering the handcuffed Black man during an arrest.

Black Americans are also upbeat about their finances. Pollsters found a 6 percent increase, from 25 percent in 2022 to 31 percent in 2023, of Blacks who said their financial situation has improved over the past year.

Many of them also gave high marks for their workplaces: 82 percent of Black employees rated their work environment as either “excellent” or “good.” The positive outlook there stemmed from employers stopping racial discrimination (76 percent) and leveling the pay between Black and white workers who do the same job (74 percent).