The poll was conducted in January and February under the direction of The Kansas City Star's market research department. Researchers interviewed 314 white residents and 304 black residents by telephone.
Experts agree there are valid concerns about polls that deal with questions about racial attitudes.
It's hard to determine whether that's significant, however, because the 1989 poll did not track those numbers. But the experts note that polling data on racial attitudes is as legitimate as polling data on any sensitive topic, such as religious practices, sexual habits or drug use. They also agree that repetition of poll questions over time is a good way to track movement in social attitudes. In fact, the movement of attitudes is what polls can best track, they say.