Most Floridians say others are prejudiced, survey say

© St. Petersburg Times
published February 8, 2002

TALLAHASSEE -- Most Floridians say a majority of people are prejudiced but don't acknowledge their own prejudice, a poll has found.

The poll was conducted for Leadership Florida as a prelude to a new statewide project called Faces of Florida, aimed at ending various kinds of prejudice.

Leadership Florida, the Florida League of Cities, Florida Power and other state and local organizations are sponsoring a $1-million public education campaign to help Floridians learn more about one another.

The poll points out the differences in the way Floridians view one another but also gives the group "a lot of reason to be optimistic," Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood, chairwoman of the new group, said at a news conference Thursday.

The poll was conducted by Cherry Communications in January by randomly calling 702 registered voters. The key findings: Sixty-seven percent think white Floridians have a high-medium degree of prejudice toward blacks, while 73 percent think blacks have a high-medium prejudice toward whites. Yet, only 14 percent think they have a high-medium degree of prejudice toward other races.

The poll has a 3.6 percent margin of error.

Hood said the poll determined that many Floridians socialize and work with other races and nationalities and live in diverse neighborhoods and have friends from different backgrounds.

And most people believe race relations now are much better than they were a generation ago and will be better in the future, Hood noted. "We all need to communicate," Hood said. "We need to learn from each other and reach a deeper level of understanding of our differences.

The campaign will use television and radio public service announcements and a program to be broadcast in schools as part of an attempt to open dialogue about race issues in Florida's communities. The group has about $100,000 for the campaign and is hoping to raise another $900,000 through corporate sponsorship and grants.

Florida Power president Bill Habermeyer said diversity in the company's employee base will help the company contribute to healthy, diverse communities that will strengthen Florida's economy. He urged other business leaders to work with the nonprofit Leadership Florida.

David Powell, a Tallahassee lawyer participating in the project, said discussions on race, gender, ethnic differences, sexual orientation and geographic prejudices will change the way Floridians think about one another.

-- Wire services contributed to this report.

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