Over the past 30 years, the political and polling industries have been endlessly curious about specific blocs of White voters (e.g., suburban soccer moms, “Joe the Plumber”), while consistently viewing Black people as a monolith. Until now, there has not been a comprehensive investment in understanding Black people based on the diversity of their values, beliefs, and identities. Katrina Gamble, PhD, Founder and CEO of Sojourn Strategies, and Terrance Woodbury, Chief Executive Officer and Founding Partner of HIT Strategies, worked with state-based organizing groups to conduct the national research and research in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Michigan.

“Campaigns and organizations are making historic investments to engage Black voters but they’re missing a critical piece of the puzzle, and a Black values survey is the key,” said Dr. Katrina Gamble. “Too many segments of the Black electorate feel isolated and ignored by the political industry because no one has taken the time to understand the roots of their cynicism and mistrust of politics. This research reveals the nuances, motivations, and unique messages that different communities of Black voters need to hear so community organizers can build more effective programs and narratives that inspire people to vote.”

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The 2024 Black Values Survey, which includes registered and unregistered Black people, builds upon preliminary 2022 research which studied only registered Black people. The researchers asked questions about respondents’ values and worldviews (such as levels of social trust, self-perceptions of power, feelings of solidarity with the Black community, and religiosity), and identified five Black Values clusters within the national Black electorate:

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• Legacy Civil Rights (41% of  respondents). This cluster is the oldest, with an average age of over 50. It has the highest voting rates. The Legacy Civil Rights cluster is also the most likely of the clusters to believe that their individual vote has power and that the Black community has power to change things. They are high information voters and believe that voting is the best way to honor their ancestors’ legacy. They are also civically engaged in their communities beyond elections. Members of this cluster are primed to be volunteers and organizers of other clusters. 

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• Secular Progressives (12% of respondents). This cluster has the second highest level of political participation, is the most progressive, and the majority are women. They are the most  educated cluster and have a higher income  compared to other clusters, but have a lower sense of individual vote power than the Legacy Civil Rights cluster and an even lower sense of the collective power of the Black community. Even so, they show a high likelihood to vote and are motivated to vote as a way to protect their community from harm.
  
  
• NextGen Traditionalists (18% of respondents). This cluster is young, with the majority being Millennials and Gen Z. They have the highest level of religiosity and tend to hold some traditional values around gender roles. While they have the lowest levels of education and income and low voter turnout, they have a moderate sense of their vote power and the collective power of the Black community. They are what researchers and organizers often call “high opportunity voters” (and the industry calls “low propensity voters”). 

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• Rightfully Cynical (22% of respondents). This cluster is the youngest cohort. They have the lowest vote likelihood of the clusters. They also have the lowest belief in their own political efficacy of the clusters – meaning they don’t believe people like them can change things with the government or politics. The researchers describe their cynicism as “rightful” because it is rooted in their experiences with politicians and institutions failing to serve their interests. For example, nearly half of this cluster has experienced racism at work and are more likely to have had a negative encounter with police than most of the other clusters. It is important to acknowledge the root of their cynicism and use trusted messengers to engage this cluster.

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• Race-Neutral Conservatives (7% of respondents). This cluster is the second oldest and most conservative cluster and are mostly men. They are more likely to blame problems the Black community faces on individual choices rather than racism and racial bias. They have the lowest measures of Black identity among the clusters and are more likely to identify as American than Black. They have the lowest sense of individual vote power and have only a moderate voter turnout rate.
  
  

This groundbreaking Black Values research is helping groups better understand, organize, and communicate with different segments of the diverse Black electorate. State-based strategists, including Rev. Dr. Gregory Edwards, Interim Executive Director of POWER Interfaith in Pennsylvania; Ranada Robinson, Research Director of New Georgia Project; and Branden Snyder, Senior Advisor at Detroit Action Education Fund, are among the first in the nation to implement the Black Values research and build data-informed programs to reach the different values segments, including through innovations in relational organizing, digital organizing, and door-to-door canvassing. Specifically: 

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• POWER Interfaith plans to engage one million Pennsylvania voters through its Black Faith Votes initiative, which will use the Black Values research to reach a subset of 50,000 eligible Black voters who are not yet civically engaged. POWER is working with 500 Black Muslim and Christian congregations to recruit 2,000 hosts of Soul Food Dinners of 20 to 25 young people, rooted in African American family traditions. The dinners will be intergenerational: members of the Legacy Civil Rights cluster will host young Black people who fall into the NextGen Traditionalist, Rightfully Cynical, and Race-Neutral Conservative clusters to talk about increasing their sense of agency and ability to improve their lives and communities and build a sense of belonging. The Black Values research informs a discussion and activity guide for the hosts and follow up outreach after the dinners, before Election Day, and for years to come. 

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• “In Pennsylvania, the Legacy Civil Rights generation is creating a space for belonging and honest discussion about political participation for the younger generations. We often start the Soul Food dinners as strangers, but end as friends and neighbors with a shared purpose. Folks don’t have to accept things the way they are. They have the power to make change, if they feel and believe it,” said Rev. Dr. Gregory Edwards, Interim Executive Director of POWER Interfaith.
  
  
• One of the biggest strengths of New Georgia Project is its ability to ensure their voter engagement tactics are effective because it is informed by the Black Values research findings. While NGP provides practical information on voting to all segments of Black voters in the state, it is primarily focused on Rightfully Cynical and NextGen Traditionalist voters who need to feel motivated to turn out. NGP is using research to match these voters with trusted messengers who share and can affirm their experiences. The Black Values research is enabling NGP to improve the effectiveness of its GOTV field program through an intentional one-size-should-not-fit-all approach to mobilizing Black voters to the polls. 

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• “The Black Values research provides a roadmap for where to start with the most invisible part of the Black electorate. New Georgia Project canvassers and organizers are using this research to better listen to and understand Black Georgians, especially Rightfully Cynical and NextGen Traditionalist voters who have been left out of polls, surveys, political discourse and, ultimately, our democracy. We talk to high opportunity voters who traditional candidates and campaigns don’t engage because they think these voters aren’t worth the investment. This research proves that theory wrong. Segments of the Black electorate that have been overlooked and underestimated are the very voters that need to be engaged to build a more inclusive and equitable democracy,” said Ranada Robinson, Research Director, New Georgia Project.
  
  
• Detroit Action Education Fund is planning to engage Rightful Cynics through events that foster a sense of belonging and political empowerment. The flagship event, “Just F***in Care Fest,” will bring young Black people together to identify and address community concerns. The event, dedicated to the theme of “joy as an act of resistance,” will also showcase local artists, musicians, dancers, and DJs. Young Black community artists have a strong influence with Rightfully Cynical voters because they have transformed their own cynicism into artistic expression and are trusted messengers in the community. To reach the clusters, Detroit Action Education Fund will use a combination of door-to-door canvassing, digital marketing, and micro-influencer engagement. In 2020, Detroit Action Education Fund’s organizing was largely responsible for bringing 86,000 new Wayne County voters into the process.

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• “You can’t talk young Black people out of their rightful cynicism. What you have to do is acknowledge, listen, and empathize with folks’ lived experience. Rightful Cynics are looking for a place where they see other cynics like them taking action in their community. Here in Detroit, we are proving that rightful cynicism is not necessarily a barrier to civic engagement. You can be cynical and still vote if it means delivering real change for your community,” said Branden Snyder, Senior Advisor at Detroit Action Education Fund and Detroit Action.

State research on Black Values and implementation is ongoing in Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The research and implementation plans were funded by the Democracy & Power Innovation Fund (DPI), a project hosted at the Rockefeller Family Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity.