Poll: Black Voters are Skeptical
Booker Rising
Results of a new BET/CBS poll, claimed to be the largest ever of registered black voters by news organizations.
is USA on the right track? 92% say no; only 6% say yes.
two-way presidential race: 79% support Sen. John Kerry; only 10% support President George W. Bush. 37% report they're paying a lot of attention to the election, another 40% are paying some attention. At this point in the 2000 race, only 16% of black voters were paying a lot of attention.
party affiliation: Three quarters identify as Democrats, 21% say independent, "a few" say Republican. 59% of black independent voters support Kerry, 18% support Bush.
is Bush's presidency legit? 85% say no. In fact, 51% of black voters say they're likelier to vote because of the controversial Florida tally. Only 41% of black voters have "a lot" of confidence that their votes will be counted properly in November. 68% believe that malicious attempts are made to thwart black votes.
on Sen. Kerry: Despite their overwhelming support, blacks voters aren't very excited about Sen. Kerry. Although 27% say they're "enthusiastic" about Kerry's candidacy, 58% say they're merely "satisfied." However, 64% believe Kerry shares their priorities. If Kerry is elected, 47% of blacks says black opportunities will get better, 45% stay the same, only 3% say get worse. Despite Bush's high-profile black Cabinet members, 66% believe Kerry would appoint even more blacks to Cabinet positions.
on Dubya: 84% of black voters say Bush doesn't share their priorities. 85% disapprove of his performance, only 11% approve. About his administration: 46% are dissatisfied, 37% angry, 11% satisfied, 3% enthusiastic.
issues on their minds: 29% volunteer the economy or jobs, 11% say health care, 21% say the war in Iraq. Only 2% name terrorism as a key issue. 50% of black voters are very concerned that they or a relative may be out of work in the next 12 months. An additional 23% are somewhat concerned about losing their job.
on the political parties and black voters: 35% of black voters feel that the Democratic party takes them for granted. However, a majority of black independent voters believe the Dems take black voters for granted. 64% of all black voters say the Republican Party ignores black voters.
who is the most important black leader: 46% say no one or they didn't know. Jesse Jackson was volunteered by 21% of black voters. Colin Powell was second at 13%. Al Sharpton 4%, Kweisi Mfume 3%, Louis Farrakhan 2%, Condoleezza Rice 1%.
There's also a wealth of info on black opinions about the Iraq war, government programs, a slew of social issues, and whether USA should intervene in African crises. We'll put it up in our stats section along the left margin.
What this info should tell black Republicans. One, there are major battles to overcome in convincing a sizeable percentage of blacks to vote for Dubya. Two, target self-identified black independents as they're twice as likely to support Bush's re-election than blacks in general. For black moderates and conservatives across party affiliation, the poll shows pragmatic programs that train black students for college preparation will get black voters' attention. However, there's a major uphill battle to increase black support for limited government.
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