By Suzanne Ma
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — A new poll published just in time for Martin Luther King Jr. Day has found little change in the way New Yorkers perceive race relations in recent years.
The Siena College Poll found that 51 percent of voters say race relations in New York are either good or excellent, up a mere 3 percentage points since two years ago. Forty-six percent of New Yorkers describe relations as fair or poor, down slightly from the 49 percent that said that in 2009.
But New Yorkers views differ widely by race.
White voters have a positive view on the state of race relations in New York, while African American and Latino voters have a negative view.
There are also differences across the political spectrum. Democrats are split, while both Republicans and independents have a positive view of race relations.
Opinions varied between city dwellers and suburbanites. Voters in New York City have negative views on race relations, while those living upstate and in the suburbs have positive views.
The Siena College poll, released on Monday, telephoned more than 800 registered voters in the state between Jan 10 to 14.
