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Focus Magazine

Publications - Recent Publications


Blacks and the 2008 Democratic National Convention

This guide discusses the range of participation by African Americans in the Democratic Party, the geographic and partisan dimensions of the black vote in recent years, and black voters' attitudes toward many issues that may be significant in the fall campaign. Detailed statistical tables and a discussion of the 2008 Democratic National Convention's black delegates and alternates make this guide a must-have resource for reporters, convention participants and scholars alike.



Joint Center National Survey Results: African Americans Respond to Global Warming

While African Americans do not believe global warming is one of the most pressing national problems the U.S. confronts, there is a widespread recognition of the problem of global warming among them, and a strong belief that the federal government should take steps to deal with it. There is also a fairly widespread understanding that there will be costs associated with dealing with global warming, but also a belief that the economics of dealing with global warming will present new opportunities for many, and that the country will be much better off if the government forthrightly begins the long process of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, African Americans, when queried about their willingness — as individuals — to incur additional costs to deal with global warming, are reluctant to agree to even modest increases in their monthly outlays.



Harrison Testimony Harrison Testifies on Reducing the Census Undercount

Testimony of Roderick Harrison, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies on July 10, 2008, before the Information Policy, Census and National Archives Subcommittee, Oversight and Government Reform Committee, U.S. House of Representatives.


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Did You Know?

Did you know that the earliest age at which you can retire and receive partial Social Security benefits is 62 years? Did you know that the earliest age at which you can retire with full benefits is 65 years? Many African Americans do not know these facts—a October-November 2005 Joint Center survey found that a majority of African American respondents (61 percent) know that you can get benefits if you retire early. However, only 39 percent of African American respondents know that the early retirement age is 62 years, and only a third (32 percent) know that 65 years is the earliest age at which one can retire with full benefits.