The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (Joint Center) has long been a leading authority on trends related to the opinions and voting preferences of the nation’s black electorate.  Two years ago, when the Joint Center launched its Commission to Engage African Americans on Climate Change, we undertook a major poll of African Americans’ opinions on the issue of climate change, in which we found that more than half of black voters believe it to be a serious problem that the nation must address.  Last year, our second comprehensive survey of African Americans on  climate change issues produced further evidence that a strong majority of African American voters want government action on climate change, and revealed additional details about what they are willing to do as individuals to help mitigate the problem.

In this report, we present the findings of surveys we conducted in four key states—Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri and South Carolina—with a focus on determining how African American views on climate change and other issues might affect the outcomes of the mid-term national elections this November.  While it is always difficult to predict election outcomes, the information from these surveys will no doubt contribute to the body of knowledge that political and policy analysts will use to understand how the climate change issue is viewed by a key electoral constituency, particularly at a time of tremendous economic upheaval in the nation. 
 

The 2008 presidential campaign represts a historic occasion for both African Americans and black politics.

This report examines Senator Barack Obama’s and Senator John McCain’s health care proposals in the context of eliminating the nation’s longstanding racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care.

The 2008 Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies National Opinion Poll is a national survey of 750 African American adults, conducted between September 16 and October 6, 2008. The survey's questions cover a range of topics including politics of the 2008 election and various issues, including education.

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The 2004 Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies National Opinion Poll is a national survey of 1,642 adults, conducted between September 15 and October 10, 2004. The survey's questions cover a broad range of topics including politics and the 2004 election, education, and health care.

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The Joint Center's 2002 National Opinion Poll on education found that the majority of whites rate their local public schools highly, while most African Americans and Hispanics give their schools only a fair grade. The questions in this survey of 2,463 adults (including 850 African Americans and 850 Hispanics) also examined opinions on school vouchers, government spending on education, and school violence.

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The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies' 2000 National Opinion Poll, conducted between September 15 and October 9, 2000, is a national survey of 1,608 adults. It covered a broad range of topics, including politics and the 2000 election, education, social security, health care, criminal justice, asset accumulation, race relations, attitudes toward American corporations, and globalization and foreign policy.

The survey has two components: a national general-population sample of 850 adults and a national sample of 850 adult African Americans. There are 92 African American respondents in the general-population sample who are also part of the national sample of African Americans. Thus, in total, there are 1,608 adults (18 years of age or older) included in this study. This first release of the findings from the survey covers politics and the 2000 election.

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The 1999 Joint Center for Political and Economical Studies 1999 National Opinion Poll reveals an interesting mix of continuity and change from the 1998 survey. The black population and the largely white general population of the United States continue to be similar in their views on a number of subjects, although they diverge significantly on others.

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The 1998 Joint Center for Political and Economical Studies National Opinion Poll is a national survey of 1,606 adults, which was conducted between September 5 and September 27, 1998. The survey's questions cover a broad range of topics including politics, education, social security, devolution, health care, the environment, and deregulation.

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The 1996 Joint Center's national Opinion Poll is a national survey of 1,596 adults, conducted during the first two weeks of January 1996. The survey's questions covered a broad range of topics including politics, social policy, crime/violence/drugs, and youth. This report summarizes the survey findings in the areas of politics and campaign issues.

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