A new survey of 1,000 residents from Vanderbilt University shows that Tennesseans have strong differences in their beliefs on racial inequality.
While 90% of Democrats believe that the legacy of slavery still affects Black people, only 29% of Republicans agree with that statement. In May, Tennessee’s Republican-led legislature passed a bill banning public schools from teaching about privilege and racial inequality.
There is also statewide division on social, cultural and political issues. Most Republicans, 71%, maintain that President Joe Biden stole the election. That’s even after the results were certified. Thirty percent of independents also reported that they believed Biden is an illegitimate president.
“This is a remarkable number — that the vast majority of a political party feels the other party is illegitimate, despite the lack of any evidence,” said Josh Clinton, a political science professor at Vanderbilt.
Members of the two political parties also disagree on getting the vaccine, new gun laws and immigration. But although politically divided, only a small amount of Tennesseans say they have lost friends due to political differences.
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