A two-panel comparison chart illustrating the correlation between increased media use of the word 'racism' and the decline in perceived quality of race relations in the United States.

A comparison of two graphs. The top graph shows the relative frequency of terms like 'racist' and 'racism' in major US newspapers skyrocketing after 2010. The bottom Gallup poll graph shows a sharp decline in the percentage of Black and White adults who view race relations as 'good' starting around the same period.

Term Frequency in Popular U.S. Newspapers racist + racists + racism New York Times (Δ2010-2020=712%) Los Angeles Times (Δ2010-2020=756%) Washington Post (Δ2010-2020=361%) Wall Street Journal (Δ2010-2020=468%) Relative Frequency @DavidRozado 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 Would you say relations between White and Black people are very good, somewhat good, somewhat bad or very bad? % Very/Somewhat good White adults Black adults GALLUP 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021