Me as well. I though it would be closer to 20-25%.
This is good news!
I not only believe in it, I’ve seen it with my own eyes!
“Disapprove” is a broad term. It can cover opinions from “I think inter-racial marriages should be illegal” to “I think inter-racial are often difficult” to “I wouldn’t personally marry somebody of a different race”.
A lot of people might disapprove of a sixty year old man marrying a twenty year old woman but that doesn’t mean they want to make it illegal.
:rolleyes: Look, I’ve heard those stories. The “mixed-race babies” always vanish when the sun comes up.
“You’re living a fantasy. There is no Easter Bunny. There is no Tooth Fairy. There is no Queen of England. This is the real world, and you need to wake up!”
I further expect that the percentage comprises members of several distinguished splinter groups including “Whut’n the hell’s ‘Inner Rachel Marriage’?” and “Let’s Be Poll Trolls and Answer Dishonestly, Hurrh Durrh!”
Thanks. It pisses me off that the OP’s linked article didn’t explain this better.
If someone asked me whether I approve of inter-racial marriage, I’d be at least tempted to answer, “No: it’s none of my business to approve or disapprove of somebody else’s marriage, when I don’t even know the individuals involved.”
Queue opening guitar theme to Welcome to the Jungle!
As per the OP:
Well, the decade I was born in certainly didn’t approve. My own marriage was looked down on by both my own folks/family and my wife’s…and I’m not really THAT old. 
Honestly, like most others in this thread, I’m both unsurprised and mildly pleased by the numbers. Basically, a certain percentage are always going to be contrary or just fucking with the poll, others are going to put this question in personal terms, and some are just stupid/stubborn and going to disapprove of anything. For me, it’s pretty amazing how far we’ve come as a country in just a few decades on things like this, and while The Kids These Days don’t even seem to notice mixed race couples (as they shouldn’t), it always makes me happy to see them and see the fact that no one else gives them a second glance. That was definitely not the norm when I was a kid (starts rant about young whipersnappers and such ;)).
Considering that between 6 and 13% of Americans think that the moon landings were faked, I think this is actually good news. I would have guessed it was higher.
I think that the “real” number is likely higher than 13%, but even racists who were asked didn’t want to appear to be racist so they gave what they presumed is an acceptable answer.
I’m Black and my SO is not. While interracial relationships are common in our area, just a short distance away there are towns where Blacks would not feel welcome to live or visit for extended periods of time. One town actually had what could be accurately referred to as a “pogrom” against its few Black residents in the 1920s and no Blacks have lived there since that time.
While things are certainly better now than in 1970s when I was growing up, there’s still a long ways to go.
“No Opinion” was also a valid answer, and the full breakdown was 87% approve / 11% disapprove / 2% no opinion.
The historical trend (in RNATB’s link) is actually pretty fascinating here: in 1959, only 4% of the population approved of interracial marriages. More interesting: even as late as 2007, only 85% of Blacks approved of interracial marriages (and 10% disapproved).
I agree with the folks saying the numbers will improve as the older, set-in-their-ways population dies out (my grandmother, for instance, was adamant that no one in the family would be gay or marry outside the race); but I also can’t picture my late grandmother participating in this or any other such survey. I suspect the age breakdown on that 11% wouldn’t prove reassuring.
And the people who disapprove of marriage because [long rant removed for sanity purposes].
This is the reason why the supposed 97% “yes” vote in Crimea is utterly ludicrous. Even if every single Ukrainian speaker boycotted, even if very few Russian speakers disagreed with the basic premise, you’d expected more than 3% to vote no just out of sheer bloodymindedness.
That was the first thing that sprang to mind; I guess the parallel for same-race marriages would be not wanting one’s child to be gay. It doesn’t at all mean that you’re bigoted or some kind of Neanderthal- in my case, it means that I recognize that growing up gay and living as a gay man is very often an extremely tough experience, and I’d sooner save my sons that pain. If they do end up gay, I’ll support them to the best of my ability and love them just as much as if they don’t, but all else being equal, I think I’d spare them that experience.
So if you were to ask parents if they want their children to be gay, I’d be in the “No” category, even though it has nothing to do with them being gay, but rather the suffering, pain and discrimination that many gay people have to deal with.
I think that some proportion of the people saying they’re against interracial marriage may be coming from a similar perspective, especially if they’re from somewhere not known for racial tolerance or cooperation.
Eh. I think they’re just bigots. The worry about the child is an excuse.
I recall this article on opposition to interracial marriage in the Mississippi Republican party, as an example.
It would be very weird if it were otherwise, frankly.
Well I can tell you years ago I worked with a white woman who was married to a black man and she said herself if she had known the trouble it would cause, she might not have married her husband. Note - I said “might”.
Thing is its something she always has to worry about every damn time she steps out the door with her kids or husband. Shes gotten it from both sides too. From whites who call her a traitor to black women who hate her for “stealing” their men. And when she is with her kids she constantly has to explain that they are hers even though they dont look like her. Her biracial son was once attacked by the black kids at school for being biracial. Her daughter, believe it or not when they are out they sometimes hold hands and hug so they have been mistaken for a lesbian couple.
There is also this - marriage is hard enough. 50% of marriages end in divorce. Would a couple want to add just one more stress to the relationship?
So from looking all that I dont know what I would put down for a poll. Yes, I think it should be legal and supported. Would I counsel a mixed couple to think twice about it? Yes also.
Oh, give Crimea a break. Russia and her former subject nations have had democracy only for a few decades, they’re still getting the knack of it. I’m certain that in 200 years, they’ll be able to fix elections with the same subtlely and grace as America does every four years.