About a month ago, I caught a video from the homie Astead Herndon, a national politics reporter from the New York Times, breaking down a new study called the Black Values Survey. Published by three groups — Democracy & Power Innovation Fund, HIT Strategies and Sojourn Strategies — the survey includes nearly 3,000 African American respondents (about two-thirds registered voters; the other third not). I've been absolutely obsessed with it ever since. As far as I can remember, it's the most thorough breakdown of the Black electorate published in recent history. If I can go on a quick angry tangent: I've long been annoyed that White voters get to be segmented and analyzed by pollsters as everything from suburban soccer moms to working-class men without college degrees while voters of color are only studied as a bloc. We've been saying for decades that Black and other groups of color are not monoliths; this study is one of the first I've seen that actually crushes that monolith. Here's who they are: Legacy Civil Rights (41% of respondents) —They are the oldest cohort, mostly members of the Baby Boomer generation —Strong Black identity, strong Democrats —The have the highest voting power and highest likelihood to vote —Their top issues: Racism, healthcare, voting rights, inflation Secular Progressives (12%) —Mostly Gen X and millennials —High income, most educated of the cohorts —Strong belief in systemic racism as a barrier, low sense of collective power —Top issues: Healthcare, racism, inflation NextGen Traditionalists (18%) —Mostly millennials and Gen Z —Have a strong Black identity, high religiosity, lower income and education —Lower voter turnout —Top issues: Healthcare, racism, jobs, crime Rightfully Cynical (22%) —Youngest cohort (Gen Z, millennials) —Low trust in Democrats and Republicans, low political efficacy —Moderate vote power, least likely to vote —Top issues: Inflation, healthcare, jobs Race-Neutral Conservatives (7%) —Mostly men, weak Black identity —Highest Republican party identification (37%). —Lowest vote power (4-10) and low approval of Democrats —They have the highest incomes of the five cohorts —Top issues: Inflation, crime, jobs The full survey breaks the cohorts down even more, along the lines of dissatisfaction with the direction of the country, attitudes on abortion and reparations, marital status and more. I urge you to check it out and reach out to me with your thoughts. Why I find this all so fascinating is because so much attention right now is focused on Black voters, and Black men in particular, and how they'll vote in crucial states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia. My hope is that this more nuanced understanding of the potential Black electorate one day becomes part of mainstream political discourse. | 