I'd suggest a useful metric for racism - the notion that some races are superior others, or that racial distinction must be maintained - is attitudes towards miscegenation. Here's some recent data:
Unsurprisingly, Republicans are more likely to disapprove of interracial marriage, with 12% of Republicans disapproving while 6% of Democrats disapprove. Perhaps more surprising is that twice as may blacks polled (19%) vs whites (9%) say more people of different races marrying each other is generally a bad thing for society, and that more women than men (12% vs 7%) say it's a bad thing.
