Sympathies for Bryant Developing Along Racial Lines

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ – A high-profile African-American athlete is accused of a crime against a woman. The case divides along racial lines, both in terms of perceived guilt and sympathy for the suspect.

Nine years ago, that athlete was O.J. Simpson, who was tried for the murder of his wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman, in what was called the "trial of the century." This time, it's a new century and a new trial: the sexual assault case of Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant in Colorado. The names, locales, and charges have changed, but one thing remains the same -- the racial divide in perceptions of the case.

The combined results of two CNN/USA Today/Gallup polls conducted July 25-27, 2003 and August 4-6, 2003 (as Bryant was making his initial appearance in court) found 42% of Americans sympathetic to Bryant, while 48% felt unsympathetic. While this presents a mixed reaction at first glance, the apparent racial divide becomes much clearer upon examination of the demographics: 63% of black respondents felt sympathetic to Bryant, compared with just 40% of white respondents.

In addition, the perception of Bryant's guilt is much stronger among whites (though mixed in actual response): 40% of whites believe the charges against Bryant are either "definitely true" or "probably true," while 41% say the charges are "definitely not true" or "probably not true." Black respondents are far more likely to believe in Bryant's innocence: 68% say the charges are not true, while 24% say they are.

Bryant's Support Compared to the Simpson Case

While Bryant is relatively young, his public image as a wholesome athlete is similar to the image O.J. Simpson had before the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman on June 12, 1994. While the two alleged crimes are very different in nature, it is possible to see similarities in the different ways black and white Americans have perceived both cases.

In the first CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll following Simpson's arrest in June 1994, Americans' sympathy for the former football star split along racial lines in a fashion similar to current sympathy for Bryant. Forty-six percent of whites were sympathetic to Simpson and 43% were unsympathetic. Among black Americans, 72% felt sympathetic for Simpson, with 22% unsympathetic.

There was also a very substantial racial gap in perceptions of Simpson's guilt -- at the time, 71% of whites believed the charges against Simpson were definitely or probably true, as did 31% of blacks. This compares (as noted above) to the 41% of whites who say the charges against Bryant are true, compared to 24% of blacks.

Thus, in both cases, racial differences in perceptions developed early, although it was more pronounced in the Simpson situation because a significantly higher percentage of whites immediately assumed Simpson's guilt. This difference is perhaps understandable, given the circumstances surrounding Simpson's arrest following the now-famous "white Bronco" car chase through the Los Angeles area. By way of comparison, Bryant publicly acknowledged infidelity while proclaiming his innocence, and has not done anything to jeopardize his freedom while the case moves its way through the courts.

Survey Methods

The results below are based on telephone interviews with two randomly selected national samples of 1,006 and 1,003 adults, 18 years and older, conducted on July 25-27, 2003 and August 4-6, 2003. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

33. How closely would you say you have followed the recent news about sexual assault charges against professional basketball player KobeBryant -- very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not at all?

34. Do you personally believe the charges that Kobe Bryant sexually assaulted a woman are – [ROTATED: definitely true, probably true, probably not true, (or) definitely not true]?

35. Based on what you know and have seen in the news, how do you feel toward Kobe Bryant – very sympathetic, somewhat sympathetic, somewhat unsympathetic, or very unsympathetic?

* -- less than 0.5%