A new national poll on race and political party identification is blowing apart liberal stereotypes
of black Republicans.
The latest Pew Research Center survey finds that while liberals think they dominate the vote
among the young and religiously unaffiliated, black Republicans are disproportionately young
and less likely to attend church.
While the share of the black population that votes Republican is largely unchanged over several
years, black Republicans don’t come from the same demographics as white Republicans.
“Around three-in-ten Black Republicans (28%) are ages 18 to 29 – higher than the share among
Black Democrats (17%) and White Republicans (10%),” Pew reports.
“Black Republicans are less likely than Black Democrats and White Republicans to be 65 and
older: 9% are in this age group, versus 18% of Black Democrats and 28% of White
Republicans,” Pew added.
That seems to give Republicans growth in it black vote going forward.
Despite liberal claims that black churches are fueling black conservatism with their stated
opposition to gay marriage, Pew finds black Republicans are less likely to attend church.
“Black Republicans are less likely than Black Democrats (22% vs. 34%) to attend predominantly
Black Protestant churches,” Pew found, adding, “Black Republicans and Democrats are about as
likely to be Catholic (6% each) or religiously unaffiliated (24% vs. 21%).”
And despite liberals claims that black conservatism is driven by income, Pew found no
correlation between income and political party identification among black Americans.
“Black Republicans are about as likely as Black Democrats to live in upper-income (12% vs.
10%) or middle-income households (37% vs. 40%),” Pew found.
“Roughly half of both groups live in lower-income ones. However, Black Republicans are much
more likely than White Republicans (50% vs. 18%) to live in lower-income households,” Pew
reports.
The poll also found that black Republicans were just as likely as black Democrats to report they
have been personally discriminated against for their race.
“About eight-in-ten Black Republicans (79%) say they have personally experienced
discrimination because of their race or ethnicity. This includes 20% who say they have
experienced discrimination regularly and 59% who say they have experienced it from time to
time. Similarly, 80% of Black Democrats report experiences of racial discrimination, either
regularly or from time to time,” Pew reports.
One thing that seem to drive black conservatism and Republican Party identification is viewing
racial issues as an individual, rather than group, issue and viewing race as a personally-defining
characteristic.
Black Republicans were less likely than black Democrats to “express a sense of ‘linked fate”
with Black people in the U.S.,” “see their ancestry as important to how they see themselves” or
view black identity as personally important.
“While about six-in-ten Black Republicans (58%) say being Black is an extremely or very
important part of how they think about themselves, an even larger share of Black Democrats
(82%) say the same. Black Republicans are also more likely than Black Democrats (21% vs. 6%)
to say Blackness is a little or not at all important to how they think about themselves,” Pew
found.
“Black Republicans are less likely than Black Democrats (44% vs. 73%) to say racial
discrimination is the main reason Black people can’t get ahead in the U.S., and they are more
likely to say Black people who can’t get ahead are mostly responsible for their own condition
(45% vs. 21%),” Pew concluded.
Michael Brigham
Michael Brigham has written for American Action News since the summer of 2019. His areas of expertise include foreign affairs, government, and politics, but regardless of the subject matter, he has a nose and an insatiable appetite for news. In his free time, he enjoys reading nonfiction, watching a mix of comedies and true crime documentaries, and spending time away from the swamp hiking in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
