Poll: Obama not impacting race relations

WASHINGTON, June 25 (UPI) -- The results of a recent national poll indicate a majority of black U.S. residents do not feel U.S. President Barack Obama has improved race relations.

CNN said Thursday a CNN/Essence Magazine/Opinion Research Corp. poll found 55 percent of the 505 African-Americans surveyed felt racial discrimination remains a serious problem in the United States.

The racial discrimination percentage was similar to figures from 2000 and marked a substantial increase from a poll during the 2008 presidential election. Last year's poll found 38 percent of black respondents tabbed racial discrimination as a serious U.S. problem.

The new CNN/Essence Magazine survey indicates black U.S. residents nonetheless have a positive take on Obama's time at the White House.

The telephone interview poll found 96 percent of black respondents back Obama's efforts and more than 60 percent of African-American respondents said Obama has met their expectations to date.

CNN said in comparison, 46 percent of the poll's 501 white respondents said their expectations have been met. The poll, which has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points, was conducted May 16-18.