European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 03, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                An explosion of crime and racial anger created a fiery chaos in los Angeles and forced shipowners to cover their eyes in despair following the acquittal of four police officers accused of beating Motorist Rodney King. Americans hold Hope for Happy new year by Howard Goldberg the associated press he american Public s mood toward the new year might be summed up with this watchword be careful out there. An associated press poll found three in five think the streets in their Community will be less Safe and two thirds think racial tensions in the country will increase. Half think their Community will have fewer Job opportunities. And slightly More americans believe health Reform will fail than think efforts to improve the nation s health care system will be successful in the coming year. Sounds pretty pessimistic. But wait. Twice As Many in the poll expect their family finances to get better than get worse. A majority 52 percent expect to have More Money next year. For a Long time polls have been finding people More satisfied with their own lives than with the direction society is taking. Looking at All the mood indicators in National polls including consumer Confidence and presidential approval some analysts see the nation s mood As growing less sour. After a period in which the country has been feeling rather badly about itself it feels better about itself now said Everett Ladd director of the Roper Center for Public opinion research at the University of Connecticut. Ladd says it s possible for this uptick in Confidence to co exist with the deeper fears of crime and racial tension found in the a poll. I m one of those who chalks a lot of that up to Media effects he said referring to the drumbeat of crime monday january 3,1994 violence and racial incidents depicted on to news and in popular culture. The poll taken by ice Survey research group of Media pa., part of aus consultants was based on 1,005 Telephone interviews dec. 10-14. It was a time of High National concern about child murders in California and Missouri and senseless gun violence like that on the Long Island rail Road. That Case in which a Black Man was accused of racially motivated shootings was unusual. But White americans dearly perceive resentment among Blacks and it exists not just in the rap r l after a period i which the country has been  about itself it feels better about itself Everett Ladd Roper Center for Public opinion research music of the Young but among Middle class Blacks said Andrew Hacker author of the recent Book two nations Black and White separate hostile unequal. White people know that there Are a lot of Black people out there that just have no love for White americans he said. They see no sign that what they think of As Black crime is going to diminish and have adopted a lock pm up attitude the Queens College political scientist said. On the Black Side there s just no optimism that White americans Are going to make a decent place for Black people even Black people who  their dues he said. In the poll 67 percent said they expected racial tension to increase and 24 percent thought it would decrease. Those were the ones that fascinated Hacker. Who Are these people who Are so optimistic he asked. On crime 26 percent said they believe the streets in their Community will be safer and 60 percent expected them to be less Safe. The numbers did not vary significantly by age sex income Region or Urban Rural status. It just shows a general pessimism about crime that has been around since at least the 1960s," said Mark Warr a sociology professor at the University of Texas Austin who studies Public fear of crime. People always seem to assume crime today is worse today than it was in the past. I Call that the Good old Days fallacy the notion that there was a Golden period when we were free from crime Warr said. While pessimism about crime held steady in All age groups in the poll the optimism about personal finances declined drastically among higher age groups. Those under 55 mostly expected to have More Money next year their elders thought they would have the same or less. The 18-34 age group was the Only one in which a majority thought health Reform would succeed. Overall 48 percent thought it would be successful 43 percent said unsuccessful and the rest were not sure. On jobs 41 percent thought there would be More opportunities in their Community 51 percent expected fewer and the rest said unchanged or did t know. Closer loo1 opinion poll finds optimism amid fear the associated press pod on expectations for the coming year was taken dec. 10-14 among a random Sample of 1,005 adult americans in an states except Alaska and Hawaii. Here Are the a poll questions and response percentages. Because off rounding off sums May not total 100. In thinking about the coming year. Do you believe the streets in your Community will be safer or less Safe safer streets 26 percent. Less Safe 60 percent. Volunteered answer of about the same next year As this year 11 percent. Don t know 3 percent. Do you believe racial tensions in the country will increase or decrease increase 67 percent. Decrease 24 percent. Volunteered answer of about the same 6 percent Don t know 3 percent. Do you believe your Community will have More or fewer Job opportunities More jobs 41 percent fewer jobs .51 percent volunteered answer of about the same 5 percent. Don t know 4 percent. How about the finances in your household do you expect to have More Money or less Money next year compared with this year More Money 52 percent. Less Money 25 percent. Volunteered answer of about the same 20 percent. Don t know no answer 3 percent. Do you believe efforts to improve the nation s health care system will be successful or unsuccessful successful 48 percent. Unsuccessful 43 percent volunteered answer of mixed Success 3 percent Don t know 7 percent interviewing was done by Telephone by ice Survey research group of Media pa., part of aus consultants. The results were weighted to represent the population by key demographic factors such As age sex Region and education. No More than one time in 20 should Chance variations in the Sample cause the results to vary by More than 3 percentage Points from the answers that would be obtained if All americans were polled. This margin of sampling error is larger for responses of subgroups such As income categories. There Are other sources of potential error in polls including the wording and order of questions. Good news for the Economy americans expect personal finances to improve. The stars and stripes 19