By many measures, the two major political parties are moving in opposite directions when it comes to racism and sexism. As researchers have repeatedly documented, anti-black prejudice, anti-immigrant attitudes and sexism divided Democratic and Republican voters in 2016 more sharply than ever before — with people with stronger racist and […] Read more »
Black votes will define electability for Democrats
For all the strategic calculations, sophisticated voter targeting and relentless talk about electability in Iowa and New Hampshire, the Democratic presidential nomination will be determined by a decidedly different group: black voters. African Americans will watch as mostly white voters in the first two contests express preferences and winnow the […] Read more »
White Liberals Have Moved to the Left of Black Voters
… For decades, African Americans have been an outsize segment of the Democratic base, all but defining the leftmost ideology of the party. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, the Congressional Black Caucus et al. may have been to the left of the average black voter (depending on the state), but at […] Read more »
The Year’s Racial Flare-Ups: Signs of the Future or Signs of a Last Gasp?
This year has seen disturbing flare-ups around issues of race, immigration, and white nativism generally. … Does the rising tide of worry mean that the nation is descending into a maelstrom of racial conflict? More likely, we are seeing the kind of fearful and angry reaction that major social change […] Read more »
Why young white evangelicals aren’t likely to leave the Republican Party
In 2020, will white evangelical Christians stick with the Republican Party, where they’ve long been a reliable voting bloc? Evangelicals made up just over one-third of President Trump’s 2016 coalition, and have been among his most loyal supporters. At the same time, researchers and observers have been debating whether the […] Read more »
Americans show spotty knowledge about the history of slavery but acknowledge its enduring effects
Americans have spotty knowledge of central facts about the history of slavery in the United States, although younger adults have an edge over their elders, according to a Washington Post-SSRS poll. Even so, a solid majority say the legacy of slavery affects American society today, including majorities across racial, partisan […] Read more »