In battleground state survey of Black voters, nearly 80% give Trump low marks on crisis and doubt his truthfulness on virus information
Black voters feeling economic fallout of COVID-19: nearly 50% report lost jobs or hours
A new poll of registered Black voters in key swing states commissioned by BlackPAC demonstrates widespread disapproval over President Donald Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, which has had a disproportionate impact on Black communities throughout the United States.
As states consider reforms like expanded vote by mail, the poll also illuminates both the challenges and opportunities that come with such reforms. While many Black voters express a lack of familiarity with vote by mail or have some distrust that their mail ballot will be counted, nearly half of Black voters who did not vote in 2016 say they would prefer to vote by mail.
“Our polling demonstrates loud and clear that Black voters are feeling the impact of COVID-19 — they are concerned for their health and families, and worried about the economic impacts of this crisis after losing jobs and having work hours cut back,” said Adrianne Shropshire, BlackPAC Executive Director. “Nobody should underestimate the impact this public health crisis will have on the general election as Black voters look for accountability for the health and economic fallout of COVID-19 in Black communities.”
Key Takeaways from BlackPAC’s Findings:
Black voters are nearly unanimous in their belief that the coronavirus is a real threat
- 75% say their lives have been affected by the coronavirus
- 57% are very concerned that either they or someone in their family will get it
- 46% have lost a job or work hours as a result of the virus
Black voters give Trump/Pence low ratings on their handling of the COVID-19 crisis
- 76% of Black voters rate Trump’s handling of the crisis as not good or poor while Vice President Mike Pence gets a 62% negative rating
- 77% of Black voters believe their neighbors are doing a good or excellent job in handling the crisis
- 78% of Black voters do not believe that Trump will give truthful information about the crisis and 63% believe the same about Pence
- By contrast, the media (73%) and governors (70%) also receive high marks for their handling of the crisis
A majority of Black voters have no experience voting by mail and express some concerns with the process
- Only 36% of Black voters have voted by mail, but 49% say they think it will be no big deal
- 41% are worried their vote will not get counted if the voter by mail and 7% are concerned they will not be able to figure it out
- 45% of those who did not vote in 2016 say they would prefer to vote by mail
Biden continues to show strong support in general election match up, with some voters expressing increased enthusiasm about the possibility of a Black woman VP choice
- Biden leads Trump 83-9 among Black voters
- Biden choosing a Black woman as his running mate appears to have some impact on enthusiasm
- A lot of Biden voters (43%) get more enthusiastic about him
- Some who did not vote in 2016 (15%) say it would make them more likely to turn out and a few more of those voters (23%) say it would make them more likely to support Biden
Methodology
The online survey was conducted April 1-5, 2020 among 800 Black/African American registered voters in Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The margin of error is ±3.5 percentage points. The margin of error for subgroups varies and is higher. Data was weighted by sex, age, education level and 9-way census region to better reflect the composition of registered Black voters.
About BlackPAC
BlackPAC is an independent, Black-led organization that uses the power of year-round political engagement and elections to change our economic, justice, and political systems. Since its founding in 2016, BlackPAC has helped galvanize Black voters to the polls to elect Governors, Lt. Governors, Attorneys General, US Senators, and State Legislators. We are committed to long-term, sustained engagement with Black voters by building lasting political infrastructure. We’re holding our public officials accountable to a policy agenda that defends our rights, promotes dignity, and ends white supremacy. Read more about BlackPAC’s impact here: https://blackpac.com/impact/
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