PUB TYPE Reports Research/Technical (143)

If educators, counselors, and student personnel workers are to provide services to students which would be perceived positively by various racial groups, an understanding of interracial perceptions and attitudes is extremely important. A study was conducted to examine the current state of interracial attitudes among students at the University of Maryland in College Park, and to determine whether or not th ere have been any changes in interracial attitudes and perceptions among black and white students since the 1970's. An anonymous questionnaire on interracial attitudes was completed by 437 college freshmen. Twelve percent of the sample were black; 88 percent were white. In general, it was found that whites and blacks who had racially isolated backgrounds seemed to have similar interracial attitudes, while blacks who had racially mixed experiences held different attitudes regarding interracial contact