Takoda Patterson, center, protests against racism in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017.  (Photo: AP)

A survey from the Pew Research Center earlier this year found that over 40 percent of respondents felt the US had not made enough progress toward achieving racial equality, even after slavery has been abolished for over 150 years. 

Almost 60 percent of Americans surveyed said US race relations are bad, with many black citizens feeling that equal rights among Caucasians remain a far-fetched dream. 

US President Donald Trump's handling of racial equality was also criticized by the majority of the respondents. Some 56 percent felt that Trump has made race relations worse, while 15 percent felt that race relations had improved, and another 13 percent said Trump had tried but failed to achieve progress on this issue.  

Other key findings included 65 percent of Americans who said it has become more common for people to express racist or racially insensitive opinions since Trump took office. 

Over 80 percent of black adults surveyed said slavery’s legacy continues to affect their position in the country, including 59 percent who said it affects them substantially.  

Roughly 78 percent said the country hasn’t progressed far enough when it comes to giving black Americans access to the same rights that Caucasians enjoy. 

The majority of blacks, Hispanics, and Asians said they had experienced discrimination because of their ethnicity, the survey also revealed.