2020 COVID-19 Poll of African American Voters
NAACP, in partnership with the African American Research Collaborative (AARC) and the Equity Research and Innovation Center (ERIC) at Yale School of Medicine, polled Black voters to gain a better picture of the impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic on Black communities. The poll is the first of its kind, with a deep dive into how African Americans are responding to the novel Coronavirus pandemic.
AARC polled a large national sample of African Americans and developed the questions in consultation with a group of leading African American university-based scholars from the fields of public health, law, education, political science, and sociology.
Among the important findings:
- 80% of those polled preferred to hold off on ending the shutdown to assure their safety ahead of boosting the economy;
- 64% of African Americans agree they are less likely than Whites to be offered Coronavirus/COVID-19 testing and 60% agree they are less likely than Whites to have everything done to save their lives in the hospital;
- 80% of African Americans think that President Trump has done a poor job of responding to the Coronavirus pandemic, with 59% saying the same about the federal government;
- 75% of African Americans think that Donald Trump is the single most dangerous threat to African American people;
- 66% believe that race is a factor in police treatment in regards to re-open protestors, and that 58% do not trust police to fairly and equally enforce rules about social distancing.
Dig into the full results below.
Derrick Johnson, NAACP President & CEO
"This poll brings attention to the true sentiment of Black communities within this pandemic and beyond. The impact of this virus will only further harm our community while increasing racial disparities and structural bias across the board. This moment calls for us to trust and listen to the community most impacted by COVID-19."
Henry Fernandez, Co-founder and Principal of the African American Research Collaborative (AARC)
"This poll is both sad and empowering. It demonstrates how devastating economically and personally the pandemic has been on African American families and how little trust they have in the federal government and President Trump. But it also shows that this has made black people more committed to vote to remove Trump and elect officials who will effectively address COVID-19."
Marcella Nunez-Smith, Director of the Equity Research and Innovation Center (ERIC) at Yale School of Medicine.
"This further supports concerns about how effective educational and public health messaging is within these communities. And this is perhaps the first national survey to highlight that the majority of Black Americans suspect racial bias affects their access to equitable care for COVID-19. These findings are a roadmap to guide urgent lifesaving interventions."
- NAACP COVID-19 Poll