New Poll: Black Voters Approve of More Representation on Supreme Court and Inflation Rises to Top Concern. More Black voter Attitudes on Biden, Democrats, and War in Ukraine (BLACKtrack)

Washington, D.C. | April 20 – This month, President Joe Biden’s job performance approval numbers among all Black voters registered at 74%, compared to last month’s approval of 76%. Of those respondents over 50 years of age, Biden’s approval was reported at 89%, while his approval among respondents under 50 years of age was 64%. The data is from the latest BlackTrack, a monthly survey by HIT Strategies, tracking Black voters’ evolving attitudes on various national and political issues. HIT conducted April BlackTrack between March 22-26, 2022.  

Just over the past month, the number of Black voters who approved of the Supreme Court’s job performance rose from 55% to 63%, the highest figure since BlackTrack began regularly tracking the question. The biggest increases came among Black voters over 50 (+9%) and Black women (+13%). 

“The uptick in the Supreme Court’s approval by Black voters indicates the new audience Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination attracted,” said Terrance Woodbury, a founding partner at HIT Strategies. “As the Supreme Court plans to rule on reproductive rights, affirmative action, and the crimes of former President Trump, Democrats need to make sure Black voters keep their eyes on the court.” 

Furthermore, Black voters are beginning to prioritize economic concerns over lingering issues related to COVID-19. This month, only 22% of Black voters listed the “spread of COVID-19″ as one of their top 3 issue priorities for the President. This made the topic the 7^th most listed issue priority, down from being the 3^rd highest just three months ago when the topic registered 32% of responses. Over the same period, the number of Black voters who listed “Inflation or cost of living” as a top priority rose 19 points, from 24% in December to 43% this month, making it the top concern of Black voters.  

“Even as Black voters credited President Biden for navigating the country through the COVID-19 pandemic, new challenges with the rising cost of living are beginning to define their view of his presidency,” said Terrance Woodbury, a founding partner at HIT Strategies. “It would be wise for the Administration to highlight their achievements with votes and emphasize the unfinished business of Biden’s Presidency.” 

More Takeaways from April BlackTrack

Questions of the War in Ukraine

• 77% support increased economic sanctions 
• 67% support sending weapons to Ukraine
• 39% support sending troops to Ukraine 
• 42% support increased sanctions regardless of gas prices, 41% support sanctions only if they do not cause prices to rise 

What SHOULD be Joe Biden’s Top 3 Issue Priorities 

• 43% Inflation or Cost of Living 
• 33% Job Opportunities and Increased Wages 
• 31% Reducing Racism and Discrimination 
• 30% COVID-19 Economic Recovery 
• 27% Healthcare 
• 26% Crime and Violence 
• 22% Spread of COVID-19

COVID-19 and Economic Well-Being

• For the first time since it was listed as a potential issue priority for the President, “spread of COVID-19″ is no longer a top-five issue for Black voters 
• The number of voters who reported that “inflation or cost of living” SHOULD be one of President Biden’s top 3 priorities increased once again from 37% to 43% last month, a 15-point increase since January 
• The number of voters who reported that “inflation or cost of living” IS one of President Biden’s top 3 priorities increased from 26% to 30% last month, an 11-point increase since January 

Reproductive Rights 

• Only 10% of Black voters believe that abortion should be illegal in all circumstances 
• 87% of Black voters personally support the right to an abortion and/or believe that government should not interfere with individual decision making on reproductive freedoms 

This BlackTrack survey was fielded from March 22-26, 2022, conducted via an online opt-in panel, with a margin of error of +/-3.9% at a 95% confidence level. The information above represents selected data from the BlackTrack survey.

About BlackTrack 
Blacktrack is HIT Strategies’ recurring monthly national survey of 1,000 Black voters ages 18+ on current social and political issues. BlackTrack tracks Black Americans’ opinions and disaggregates the data into demographic groups to understand Black voters’ full diversity. A majority of BlackTrack data is proprietary and available for subscribers. For more information on previous data or to subscribe, go to hitstrat.com/blacktrack. 

About HIT Strategies  
As Washington’s leading millennial and minority-owned public opinion research company, HIT Strategies helps progressive leaders and organizations translate the values and attitudes of target audiences into real-time insights. We understand America’s fastest-growing electorate and consumer groups and specialize in targeting communities under-represented in public opinion, including Black Americans, Latino Americans, Millennials + Genz, LGBTQ+, Women, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders. Visit hitstrat.com and follow @HITStrat on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more information. 

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