The Effects of Black Identity on Candidate Evaluations: An Exploratory Study

Posted in Articles, Barack Obama, Media Archive, Politics/Public Policy, United States on 2009-10-14 13:56Z by Steven

The Effects of Black Identity on Candidate Evaluations: An Exploratory Study

Journal of Black Studies
Volume 40, Number 2 (2009)
pages 215-237
DOI: 10.1177/0021934707309430

Jas M. Sullivan, Assistant Professor of Political Science
Louisiana State University

Keena N. Arbuthnot, Associate Professor of Education
Louisiana State University

Although Barack Obama’s entrance into the 2008 presidential campaign has been warmly received by Whites, Blacks have been somewhat ambivalent. Some even have claimed that Obama is not “Black.” The case of Barack Obama brings to the forefront the prospect of intragroup identity differences that exist among Blacks and the potential importance of a candidate’s racial background in elections. Consequently, the authors ask the following questions: (a) Does the racial background of a political candidate affect Black voters’ support and evaluation of a candidate’s personal attributes (i.e., trust, concern, strength, and qualification)? and (b) Focusing purely on the treatment groups separately (White, biracial, and Black candidates), does Black identity affect Blacks’ support and evaluation of a candidate’s personal attributes?  The experimental results of this exploratory study find race does make a difference on candidate support, and Black identity influences the way in which Black respondents perceive White, biracial, and Black candidates. As a result, these findings suggest that differences in how Blacks feel about a candidate will depend on the candidate’s racial background, their own attitudes and beliefs about being Black, and where they fall on various demographic and political measures.

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