UNDERSTANDING THE RIOTS--SIX MONTHS LATER : Touched by Fire / A Legacy of Pain and Hope : THE TIMES POLL : How We View Our Future

The Times Poll, conducted Oct. 9-14, interviewed 731 Anglos, 261 blacks, 226 Latinos and 110 Asians. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Because of sampling limitations, some earlier polls--used here to identify trends--did not include Asians.*

According to the survey results, people have become less satisfied with the quality of their lives in the six months since the riots. They have become more hostile toward people of other races and more pessimistic about the city’s future.

And more than 60% of those polled believe it is likely that another riot will occur next year, following the verdicts in the upcoming retrial of the four officers involved in the Rodney G. King beating, or the trial of the black youths accused of beating trucker Reginald Denny.

Are you optimistic that, in the near future, Los Angeles will be able to make major progress toward healing itself from the effects of the riots?

All Anglos Blacks Latinos Asians Optimistic 60% 54% 65% 64% 65% Pessimistic 37% 45% 33% 33% 26% Don’t know 3% 1% 2% 3% 9%

This same question was also asked on May 4, immediately after the riots. Then, people were slightly more optimistic that the city would heal itself:

All Anglos Blacks Latinos Optimistic: 68% 55% 73% 82% Pessimistic: 27% 40% 22% 11% Don’t know: 5% 5% 5% 7%

How have the riots affected the feelings of you and your neighbors toward people of other races?

All Anglos Blacks Latinos Asians More resentful and closed: 32% 34% 21% 38% 19% More sympathetic and open: 20% 21% 25% 16% 18% Riots left them indifferent: 40% 35% 49% 41% 51% Don’t know: 8% 10% 5% 5% 12%

Do you think the trial of the four black youths accused of beating trucker Reginald Denny will be biased either in favor of or against the youths?

All Anglos Blacks Latinos Asians Biased against the youths: 25% 20% 44% 24% 15% Biased in favor of the youths: 6% 10% 000 5% 5% Generally unbiased: 20% 24% 11% 18% 15% Too early to say: 45% 42% 43% 49% 52% Don’t know: 4% 4% 2% 4% 13%

Do you think the federal civil rights trial of the four Los Angeles police officers accused of using excessive force against Rodney G. King will be biased either in favor of or against the officers:

All Anglos Blacks Latinos Asians Biased against the officers: 24% 31% 14% 19% 31% Biased in favor of the officers: 16% 10% 26% 18% 12% Generally unbiased: 21% 25% 19% 18% 13% Too early to say: 36% 31% 36% 42% 39% Don’t know: 3% 3% 5% 3% 5%

What are the chances that one or both of those verdicts will cause another outbreak of violence like last spring’s riots:

All Anglos Blacks Latinos Asians Likely (includes very likely): 61% 63% 62% 61% 46% Unlikely (includes very unlikely): 33% 32% 31% 35% 41% Don’t Know: 6% 5% 7% 4% 13%