Blacks more optimistic under Obama

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- A new survey finds that blacks in the United States have become more optimistic about their progress in the year since Barack Obama became president.

But the poll by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press also showed that many African-Americans still doubt the fairness of U.S. society. More than 80 percent said more change is needed to ensure equal opportunity for blacks.

On the president himself, the son of a Kenyan father and white mother from Kansas, 55 percent of blacks see him as black and 34 percent as mixed race. More than half, 53 percent, of whites and 61 percent of Hispanics say he is mixed race.

In 2007, only 20 percent of blacks said there had been improvement for their race in the past five years. Almost twice as many, 39 percent, saw improvement in the past five years in the recent poll.

More than half, 53 percent of the respondents, said they expected continued improvement compared to 44 percent in 2007.

Pew surveyed 2,884 adults by telephone between Oct. 28 and Nov. 30. The group included 812 blacks.