The Political Orientations of Young African Americans

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Notes

1. Joint Center National Opinion Polls in 1996 and 1997 found similar results. In a Joint Center national survey of 750 African Americans between 18 and 35 years, which was conducted in 2000, 62 percent identified themselves as Democrats, six percent as Republicans, and 30 percent as independents.

2. The figures cited are the averages over the four surveys.

3. Data are from the Joint Center's 2000 African American youth survey.

4. The 1997 data are from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies' 1997 National Opinion Poll.

5. In the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Black voters gave the Republican nominee eight percent of their votes, the lowest share since 1964.

6. Data are from the Joint Center's 2002 National Opinion Poll.

7. Data are from a Joint Center 1999 National Survey of Black Elected Officials.

8. For further elaboration on this point, see “Changing of the Guard: Generational Differences Among Black Elected Officials” (2001), Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.