Editor’s Note: Last week’s fatal shooting of two black men by police and the subsequent killing of five Dallas police officers have reinvigorated the debate over police brutality and racial tension in America. As a research company, one of Barna’s key functions is to contribute reliable data that equips leaders to accurately describe and interpret cultural trends. In April 2016, as part of a larger study we are conducting on social values, our team collected public opinion data on perceptions of police brutality. We are making that research available this week in order to offer context into what Americans told us about the topic.

Research Findings In the nationwide survey of American adults, respondents were asked two questions related to the subject of police brutality. The first question gauged how strongly American adults agree or disagree with the following statement: “The police unfairly target people of color and other minority groups.” A slim majority of Americans agree that police unfairly target people of color and other minority groups. More than half of all adults (53%) either somewhat or strongly agree with the statement, four in 10 (40%) either somewhat or strongly disagree, while 7 percent admit they are not sure.

The second question looked specifically at personal experience, asking respondents whether they personally live in fear of police brutality. Most (78%) say they either probably or definitely do not live in fear of police brutality, while more than one in five Americans say they either absolutely (7%) or possibly do (15%). The deepest divides though—for both questions—exist among generation, ethnicity and religion.

Demographic Analysis As far as demographic and psychographic trends, we found the most marked differences in opinion when looking at generation, ethnicity, and ideology. For instance, younger Americans are more likely than older Americans to believe that police unfairly target people of color and other minority groups. Looking specifically at those who strongly agree, Millennials are more than three times as likely as Elders (32% compared to 10%) to strongly agree that police demonstrate prejudice.

White Americans (14%) are the least likely ethnicity to strongly agree that police unfairly target people of color and other minority groups. That compares to four in 10 among all non-white Americans (40%). Black Americans are the most likely to strongly agree with the statement (53%)—almost four times as many as white Americans. And among Hispanic Americans, one-third strongly agrees that police unfairly target people of color and minority groups (34%).