Poll: Black Americans least likely to have 'positive' police interactions

July 30 (UPI) -- A new Gallup survey Thursday showed that Black Americans are the least likely racial group to experience a positive encounter with police in the United States.

According to the poll, three-quarters of all respondents said any encounters with authorities over the past 12 months have been positive, overall. That figure was 79% among Whites, 68% among Hispanics and 59% among Blacks.

Ninety percent of Whites said they were treated respectfully and 93% said they were treated fairly. For Hispanics, those figures were 81% and 84%, respectively, and 73% and 74% for Black Americans.

The survey was taken in late June and early July, amid protests nationwide that followed the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.

"Less than half of White Americans (44%) and Black Americans (42%), and about half of Hispanic Americans (49%), say they have interacted with police in the past 12 months," Gallup wrote. "The gaps between Black Americans and Hispanic Americans on these measures are not statistically significant, but the differences between both groups and White Americans are significant."

The survey addressed all encounters with police, including traffic stops, reporting crimes and encountering officers in the community.

"Although the majority of Black Americans who interacted with the police in the past year report that the interaction was positive and that they were treated fairly and respectfully, sizable minorities have had encounters that were more troubling to them," Gallup noted. "Four in 10 Black Americans who interact with police walk away with a negative assessment of their interactions overall, a much higher rate than for White Americans who interact with police."

Gallup polled more than 36,400 members of its web panel for the survey, which has a margin of error between 1.4 and 2.2 points. Gallup said the margin was greater for some subsamples.