Campus Connection

Faculty member helps with national survey of Black voters in the 2016 election

Ray Block, UW-La Crosse associate professor of Political Science and Public Administration, helped conduct a recent political poll that found despite a lack of enthusiasm, African Americans think it is more important to vote in this election than in 2012. [caption id="attachment_47312" align="alignright" width="240"] Ray Block, associate professor of Political Science and Public Administration.[/caption] Block is part of the African American Research Collaborative, a non-partisan organization which recently released the findings related to African American voter intensity and enthusiasm. The survey results were recently featured in a story in Huffington Post. . Among the results, the poll found:

• Turnout: 93 percent of black voters report they are likely to vote.
• Importance: 56 percent of African-Americans consider this presidential election more important than 2012. Most of survey respondents said it is the most important election to vote in. This, coupled with the early vote numbers, gives reason for optimism related to voter turnout among Blacks, notes Block.
• Enthusiasm: Data suggests that enthusiasm is down from 2012 as could be expected given that Barack Obama (the first biracial president who self-identifies as African American) is not on the ticket, notes Block. Survey data shows that it is lack of enthusiasm in the two candidates, lack of Obama on the ticket, and negativity in the campaign that is hurting enthusiasm.
• Key issues: The economy, education and criminal justice remain key issues for the next president.

About the survey The 20-minute poll of 1200 African American voters across the country with oversamples in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Nevada, is a joint project of the African American Research Collaborative (AARC) and Latino Decisions. The poll answered, definitively whether African Americans are voting in the post-Obama world and what is motivating their vote, while also addressing key concerns on policing, race-relations, government trust and voter suppression. There has not been a similar large-scale, in-depth poll of African American voters this cycle. Block is one of AARC’s experts in the area of racial and ethnic group politics, voting behavior and public opinion. For this survey, Block served as a senior analyst for “Latino Decisions,” a polling firm focused on public opinions of racial and ethnic minorities. He offered guidance throughout the process of designing the survey, collecting responses and interpreting the data. “From time to time, I get the opportunity to combine my intellectual interest in the ‘politics of social identity’ with my expertise as a survey researcher,” notes Block. “This election provided me with several opportunities to work with community groups and polling organizations.” The African American Research Collaborative is a collaborative of pollsters, scholars, researchers, and commentators committed to bringing an accurate understanding of African American civic engagement to the public discourse. View a slideshow presentation showing the results.