New Views on Interracial Dating

Attitudes toward interracial relationships have undergone a staggering adjustment over the past three decades, a survey says.

The poll -- conducted by Zogby America for Reuters -- asked more than 1,225 adults "Would you approve of your son or daughter dating someone outside of your race?" More than 67 percent of the respondents said they would approve of their child having an interracial relationship while more than 22 percent would be staunchly opposed and 10 percent were unsure.

Here's the approval rating:

• More than 62 percent of whites responding said they would approve of interracial dating by their son or daughter
• African Americans supported interracial dating by 86.8 percent
• Nearly 80% of Hispanics thought it was A-OK
• Asian Americans supported interracial dating at slightly more than 52 percent

And how about the disapproval rating? When it came to disapproving of such relationships, 35 percent of Asian Americans indicated they would not approve, followed by more than 26 percent of whites and more than 9 percent of Hispanics. Respondents in the poll were asked: "Would you approve of your son or daughter dating someone outside of your race?"

Similiarly, a Zogby International poll of 18- to 20-year-olds on the subject of interracial dating had the majority of those responding indicating no problem with racial dating, while noting that less than half of those polled said they had dated someone from a different race.