Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Black Americans

We explore the diverse views and experiences of Black people in America with in-depth surveys and other research. Our work focuses on three themes: Black identity, the economic and social mobility of Black people in America, and Black representation in American political and social life. This work is part of our wider race and ethnicity research portfolio.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Tanya Arditi
tarditi@pewresearch.org
202.419.3623

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    Minorities, Immigrants and Homeownership

    The boom-and-bust cycle in the U.S. housing market over the past decade and a half has generated greater gains and larger losses for minority groups than it has for whites, according to an analysis of housing, economic and demographic data.

  • feature

    African-Americans and Religion

    A new analysis by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that African-Americans are markedly more religious on a variety of measures than the U.S. population as a whole. Source: Pew Forum U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted in 2007, released in 2008 Data tables available in the full report.

  • report

    A Religious Portrait of African-Americans

    Overview I. Religious Affiliation and Demographics II. Religious Beliefs and Practices III. Social and Political Views Overview While the U.S. is generally considered a highly religious nation, African-Americans are markedly more religious on a variety of measures than the U.S. population as a whole, including level of affiliation with a religion, attendance at religious services, […]

  • report

    Gains Seen On Minority Discrimination – But Little Else

    Overview As Barack Obama prepares to take office, majorities say the country is losing ground on any number of key issues, particularly economic ones. Nearly eight-in-ten (79%) say the country is falling further behind on the federal budget deficit, far more than said that during the mid-1990s when the deficit was a top-tier policy issue. […]

  • transcript

    Religion and Race: A Historical and Contemporary Perspective

    Some of the nation’s leading journalists gathered in Key West, Fla., in December 2008 for the Pew Forum’s biannual Faith Angle Conference on religion, politics and public life. Eddie S.Glaude Jr., author of In a Shade of Blue: Pragmatism and the Politics of Black America, discussed religion and race in America. Specifically, he described historical […]

  • report

    Most Americans See a Black Nominee as Important for Country

    Summary of Findings A solid majority of Americans say it as at least somewhat important to the country that an African American has won the presidential nomination of a major political party. But there are wide political and racial divisions over the significance of Barack Obama’s history-making achievement. Overall, 36% of the public says it […]

  • report

    Obama and Wright Controversy Dominate News Cycle

    Summary of Findings Barack Obama’s March 18th speech on race and politics is arguably the biggest political event of the campaign so far. Fully 85% of Americans say they heard at least a little about Obama’s speech, and most (54%) say they heard a lot about it. Not surprisingly, Barack Obama has been far and […]