# Deep Racial Divide in Perceptions of Police and Reported Experiences, No Group Is Anti-Cop 

March 1, 2017 • Public Opinion Brief No. 1 

By [Emily Ekins](https://www.cato.org/people/emily-ekins) 

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A new Cato Institute/​YouGov survey of public attitudes toward the police finds a 38-point gap between white and black Americans’ perception that police are too quick to resort to deadly force.1

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Nearly three-fourths (73%) of African Americans and 54% of Hispanics believe the police are “too quick to use deadly force,” compared to 35% of white Americans. Instead, 65% of white Americans believe police resort to lethal force “only when necessary” (see Figure 1). When it comes to police tactics overall, black Americans (56%) are more likely to think they are “too harsh” compared to white (26%) and Hispanic (33%) Americans. Majorities of whites (67%) and Hispanics (58%) believe police generally use the right amount of force for each situation. 

**Notes:** 
1\. Please see the following for the full report: Emily Ekins, “Policing in America: Understanding Public Attitudes toward the Police,” Cato Institute, December 7, 2016, [https://​www​.cato​.org/​s​u​r​v​e​y​-​r​e​p​o​r​t​s​/​p​o​l​i​c​i​n​g​-​a​m​erica](https://www.cato.org/survey-reports/policing-america).

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##### Deep Racial Divide in Perceptions of Police and Reported Experiences, No Group Is Anti-Cop 

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##### About the Author 

[![Emily Ekins](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/Emily%20Ekins.jpg?itok=O6P9UmCC)](/people/emily-ekins) 

##### [Emily Ekins](/people/emily-ekins)

Vice President for Policy and Society, Cato Institute

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