Editor’s Note to Readers
The original version of this study was published on June 10. We previously used the term “racial conspiracy theories” as editorial shorthand to describe our complex and mixed findings. By using these terms, our coverage distorted rather than clarified the study’s key points. Changes in this version include an updated headline, a new “clarity” paragraph, some additional context, and direct quotes from focus group participants.
Claudia Deane, Mark Hugo Lopez and Neha Sahgal contributed to revising this report.
Pew Research Center conducted this survey to explore how Black Americans think about factors that contribute to or hinder success in the United States. While the earlier 2024 report explored enablers, the current report focuses on hindering factors. Based on their actual individual and collective historical experiences with racism, Black Americans may be skeptical of the actions of U.S. institutions.
These allegations are often circulated in black communities as ideas about intentional or unintentional harm that prevents black people from thriving. The report asked black adults how familiar they were with these ideas. Regardless of familiaritywe asked, are these things just something from the past, or can they still happen today? Detailed examples of these ideas and corresponding research findings are detailed in Chapters 2 through 7.
We surveyed 4,736 U.S. adults who identify as Black non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic mixed race, and Black Hispanic. The survey was conducted September 12-24, 2023, and included 1,755 Black adults from the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP) and 2,981 Black adults from the Ipsos Knowledge Panel.
Respondents for both panels are recruited through nationwide random sampling of residential addresses. Recruiting panelists through mail ensures that nearly all Black adults in the United States have a chance of being selected, which gives us confidence that any sample will be representative of the overall population (see our Methods 101 explanation of random sampling). For more information about this study, see Survey Methodology and Topline Survey.
The study also included seven focus groups with Black adults of different ages, income levels, political affiliations, and geographic locations. The groups, conducted online from May 23 to June 1, 2023, gave Black adults the opportunity to describe their definition of success and the factors that get in the way of success. Read the focus group methodology for more information.
conditions Black Americans, Black Adult and Black In this report, these terms are used interchangeably to refer to U.S. adults who identify as Black, either alone or in combination with another race or Hispanic identity.
Throughout this report, Non-Hispanic blacks Respondents were people who self-identified as single-race Black and said they had no Hispanic background. Black Hispanic Respondents self-identified as Black and were of Hispanic background. Black Hispanic and Hispanic Black Interchangeably. Multi-Ethnic Respondents were people who indicated two or more racial backgrounds, one of which was black, and who said they were not Hispanic.
In this report: Immigration This refers to someone born outside the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or other U.S. territories.
To create high-, middle-, and low-income brackets, respondents’ 2021 household income was adjusted for differences in purchasing power across geographic regions and household sizes. Respondents were then categorized into income brackets. Middle income It is defined as more than double the average annual income of the entire survey sample. Low income Below that range, High-income earners It’s on top of that.
Throughout this report, High-income black adults These people belong to the high-income bracket. Middle-income black adults and Low-income black adults There are middle and low income household incomes, respectively. For more information on how the income bands are created, please read the methodology.
Throughout this report,Democratic PartyRespondents were either politically inclined toward the Democratic Party, or independents or people who supported other political parties but leaned toward the Democratic Party.RepublicanThere are people who are politically affiliated with the Republican Party and there are independents or people who belong to other parties but lean Republican.
While many black Americans consider themselves at least somewhat successful and are optimistic about their economic futures, previous Pew Research Center surveys have also found that most believe the U.S. system falls short when it comes to treating black people fairly.
New analysis suggests that many black Americans believe racism in U.S. institutions is the result of deliberate design, not just passive negligence. Specifically, majorities say that U.S. institutions such as prisons (74%), politics (67%) and the economy (65%) are designed to hold black people back a lot or a lot.
Black Americans’ distrust of U.S. institutions is rooted in history, from slavery to the implementation of Jim Crow laws in the South and the rise of mass incarceration.
According to some studies, incomewealth, education, Imprisonment and Health outcomes It continues to this day.
The current study aims to explore how Black Americans think about the U.S. system and how it impacts their success.
Specifically, we explore the extent to which Black Americans believe that U.S. institutions intentionally or negligently harm Black people and how their personal experiences with racism influence these beliefs.
The beliefs and stories Black Americans hold about systemic harm have long been health and Social Sciences and HumanitiesStories about the system being designed to oppress black people also emerged in several online focus groups Pew conducted for the study last year. (Excerpts from the focus group discussions can be found here.) Associated Text Box.
To measure the prevalence of these narratives of mistrust, we surveyed 4,736 Black adults in the U.S. from September 12-24, 2023.
First, respondents were asked if they had heard a series of statements that suggested American institutions could intentionally or negligently harm black people. Respondents were then asked if they believed these harms were happening to black people today. Key findings of black Americans’ distrust of institutions included:
The report also found that black Americans who have experienced racism are more likely to believe that U.S. systems intentionally or unintentionally harm black people.
Even among black Americans, there are slight variations based on gender, education, family income, and political affiliation. Still, majorities in many black demographic subgroups are familiar with these statements about the intentions of many U.S. institutions and say these things are happening to black people today.
In Their Own Words: Quotes from a 2023 Black American Focus Group
To understand how Black Americans perceive successes and setbacks in the United States, we conducted seven online focus groups across the country with Black people of various income, age, and ideological backgrounds in May and June 2023. For more information on how we defined and recruited the groups, see our focus group methodology.
A theme that emerged was that some participants felt they were facing a system purposefully designed to hold them back. Below are some illustrative quotes:
“I believe there is a strategic, behind-the-scenes effort to sabotage the efforts of black people. … You may be on your path to success unstoppable, but it only takes one incident planned and conspired against you to destroy your life.”
– Female, low-income, early 50s
“As black people, we are always fighting some kind of struggle. … We are always reaching the pinnacle of some kind of success, and something always knocks us down. … There is always something that gets in our way.”
– Female, Youth Group, Late 20s
“Well, there are institutionalized things that are invisible to the naked eye. … There are institutionalized things that are always suspected, but you can’t really blame them because they are seemingly harmless. … I think there are also things that are deliberately embedded in society, in industry, etc., to suppress certain numbers for access to financial gain.”
– Male, high-income earner, late 30s
“I trust the government to an extent, but I don’t trust them when it comes to certain things. Take the pandemic, for example. The government was doing all the support for people, but there were people who applied for support and didn’t get it and were literally just struggling to survive. … I feel like we’re the least supported because we’re always at a disadvantage as black people.”
– Female, Republican, Late 20s
“It’s a capitalist society, and I feel like for this system to be successful, black men have to be at the bottom. … I think there are a few hands involved in this. I don’t want to speculate, but it seems like there’s still a system in place where black people, especially black men, haven’t been successful for a while.” black wall street We were starting to have a little bit of success, and then it was destroyed by the powers that be. So whatever the system is, it’s a pretty good system that doesn’t get exposed that easily.”
– Male, Republican, late 30s
