A survey of Black voters by the Kaiser Family Foundation and TheGrio revealed the mood and opinions of Black voters as the 2022 midterm election approaches on a variety of issues.
The polling examined Black voters’ voting intentions, motivations and views on key electoral issues for the upcoming midterm. It also examines Black voters’ attitudes toward the Democratic and Republican Parties, views on electoral integrity and past experiences with voter suppression.
In addition to these election-related topics, the survey sheds light on how Black voters feel about timely topics including the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, policies affecting the LGBTQ community and policies aimed at improving health for Black people in the nation.
A large majority (78 percent) of Black voters support Congress updating the Civil Rights Act to include protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, including large majorities across age groups, and 93 percent of Black voters who identify as LGBTQ.
Of note, nine in 10 liberal Black voters support updating the Civil Rights Act in this way (89 percent,) but a majority (58 percent) of those who identify as conservatives do as well.
Same-sex marriage also garners solid support among Black voters, with more than two in three (68 percent) saying they support Congress passing a law to protect same-sex marriage (including 44 percent who say they strongly support this measure.) About nine in 10 (93 percent) Black voters who identify as LGBTQ support protecting same sex marriage.
Support differs by age among all Black voters, with nearly eight in 10 (78 percent) Black voters ages 18-29 saying they support this compared to a narrower majority (55 percent) of those ages 65 and older. On this topic, about eight in 10 (83 percent) liberal Black voters are in support, but conservative Black voters are split: 49 percent support it, while 51 percent oppose.
Most Black voters support allowing public schools to teach students about sexual orientation and gender identity, but those who are parents are more divided. Nearly six in 10 (58 percent) Black voters support allowing public school teachers to teach students about sexual orientation and gender identity.
However, while a clear majority (61 percent) of Black voters who are not parents support this, Black voters who are parents of children under 18 are more divided (52 percent support and 48 percent oppose.)
More Black voters oppose rather than support allowing transgender student athletes to compete on sports teams that match their gender identity, though majorities of younger Black voters and those who identify as LGBTQ are in support. Fewer than half of Black voters (43 percent) support allowing trans student athletes to compete on sports teams that match their gender identity, while 56 percent oppose.
However, a majority (56 percent) of young Black voters aged 18-29 are in support, as are six in 10 Black voters who identify as LGBT (62 percent) and about half (52 percent) of liberal Black voters.
Read the entire poll here.
Story courtesy of the Washington Blade.