NEW REPORT BY THE OPPORTUNITY AGENDA SHOWS AMERICANS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS AT HOME

Polling Data Reveals that Americans Believe U.S. Needs to Make Progress in Promoting and Protecting Rights

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New York, NY, December 10th – Today, International Human Rights Day, The Opportunity Agenda will release a new national poll that reveals that many Americans see human rights as crucial to American values and they worry that our national policies and practices are not living up to those principles.

According to the survey eighty percent of Americans agree that “every person has basic rights regardless of whether their government recognizes those rights or not.”  Eight in ten Americans also believe that “we should strive to uphold human rights in the U.S. because there are people being denied their human rights in our country.”  And three-quarters want the U.S. to focus on making regular progress on human rights. Only two in ten said the U.S. should move “slowly” or allow human rights solutions to “evolve naturally.”

Americans understand that human rights extend to the economic and social justice realm, and expect our government to protect and promote them.,” said Alan Jenkins is Executive Director of The Opportunity Agenda, “These findings should be a wake-up call to government and a new tool for those working for social justice in our country.”

The poll also found that many Americans are open to a human rights framing of domestic issues, particularly with regard to equality, discrimination, fair and humane treatment in the criminal justice system, and education. Americans also agreed that health care, a clean environment and a living wage are human rights.

According to the poll, large majorities of Americans surveyed, believe “strongly,” that human rights include:

• Equal access to quality public education (82%)
• Access to health care (72%)
• Fair pay for workers to meet their basic needs for food and housing” (68%) 

The poll also showed strong belief that civil and political rights are human rights that must be protected. Specifically:

• Freedom from torture or abuse by law enforcement (83%)
• Equal opportunity regardless of race (85%)
• Gender (86%)
• Being treated fairly in the criminal justice system (83%)

The poll, along with a series of focus groups and interviews that were also conducted, represent the most extensive body of opinion research ever assembled on this subject.  This research project examined the opinion of three key audiences on human rights in the U.S. as applied to social justice issues: the American public, social justice advocates not currently using the human rights approach, and journalists who regularly cover social issues. Researchers surveyed 1,500 respondents from the general public as well as over 600 social justice advocates nationwide,

Read the Report Here>>