Poll: Race relations considered good

NEW YORK, April 28 (UPI) -- Two-thirds of Americans say race relations are generally good, a New York Times-CBS News poll indicated Tuesday.

However, about half of blacks interviewed in the poll said whites have a better chance of getting ahead.

Blacks remain President Barack Obama's staunchest supporters, with 70 percent of black respondents saying the country is moving in the right direction, compared to 34 percent of whites.

Obama enjoys broad support for his approach on several issues, the poll found, including contentious matters such as whether Congress should investigate harsh interrogation tactics authorized during the Bush administration. Sixty-two percent of Americans share Obama's position that hearings are unnecessary.

Seventy-two percent of Americans said they were optimistic about Obama making progress in healthcare, energy and immigration matters, the poll indicated. That optimism was tempered by concerns about reviving the economy and ending U.S. military involvement in Iraq.

The telephone survey contacted 973 adults Wednesday through Sunday. Blacks were oversampled, for a total of 212, and then weighted to their proper proportion, based on the census. The margin of error is 3 percentage points overall, and 7 percentage points for blacks.