Sunday, September 02, 2001
From The Editor
Poll reflects attitudes, defines problems
By Ward Bushee
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Which Cincinnati do you live in?
Is your Cincinnati a friendly and safe, tree-lined neighborhood where life keeps getting better but you wish the morning commute weren't so clogged with traffic?
Or, is your Cincinnati a battle for survival in which you fear that you or your children will be shot while trying to get home from work or school?
These are perceptions of two worlds within Greater Cincinnati, two worlds that the Enquirer's scientific poll on racial attitudes brings into sharp relief. The poll is a mirror that gives our community a fresh look at itself, the first accurate reflection of how blacks and whites think about themselves and each other since the April race riots. Look into it and see the different towns.
Today, the Enquirer begins a five-day series that explores the poll results by categories and examines how blacks and whites agree on some points and disagree -- sometimes sharply -- on many more.
The poll was developed as part of the Enquirer's overall goal since January to stimulate community dialogue and help bridge racial misunderstanding. With the poll results in hand since Monday, a reporting team has been hustling to bring you stories that shed light on the complex perceptions of race relations in Greater Cincinnati.
The poll, conducted Aug. 17-23, was commissioned by the Enquirer and largely paid for by a generous grant from the Pew Center for Civic Life, a nonprofit foundation in Washington, D.C., that supports community journalism projects.
Our poll and series lead up to a prime-time TV live town-hall meeting Thursday night: Common Ground: Working For Change will be televised from 8 to 9:30 p.m. on WCET-TV (Channel 48) and from 8 to 9 p.m. on WCPO-TV (Channel 9). The forum is embraced by the Cincinnati Media Collaborative, a new project in which many local media outlets, including the Enquirer, have joined forces to highlight race coverage.
The poll is a tool for understanding attitudes and perceptions. While it does not solve problems, it can define them clearly. We hope the poll and our series of stories, as well as the televised town hall meeting, will focus more community attention on the areas of racial problems that deserve the most attention.
We hope the poll can help build progress toward making Cincinnati one city for everybody.
Ward Bushee is editor and vice president of The Cincinnati Enquirer.
ONLINE EXTRA: Complete poll results and PDF of the report
Races See Two Cincinnatis
About this series
How this poll was done
Tell us what you think
Poll reflects attitudes, defines problems
Subtle racism gets under blacks' skin
City combines best, worst of North, South
Tensions hurt potential for growth
