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Battleground Survey of African Americans Prepared for LAC PAC Key Takeaways - Coronavirus Ø Black voters are nearly unanimous in their belief that the coronavirus is a real threat o 89% believe the threat is real and not blown out of proportion o 75% say their lives have been affected by the coronavirus o 57% are very concerned that either they or someone in their family will get it o 46% have lost a job or work hours as a result of the virus Ø Black voters give Trump/Pence low ratings on their handling of the COVID-19 crisis o 76% of Black voters rate Trump’s handling of the crises as not good or poor while Pence gets a 62% negative rating o While Black voters are skeptical of the American public at large (50/50) they believe those closest to them are fairing better saying that 77% of their neighbors are doing a good or excellent job o The media (73%) and governors (70%) also receive high marks for their handling of the crisis 2 Key Takeaways (coronavirus continued) Ø Black voters do not trust Trump or Pence to deliver accurate information about COVID-19 o 78% of Black voters do not believe that Trump will give truthful information about the crisis and 63% believe the same about Pence. o 73% trust the media to report accurately on the crisis o 70% trust their governors to be truthful o Black voters trust the CDC most of all with 81% saying they trust the CDC to deliver accurate information 3 Key Takeaways – View of the Country Ø Black voters continue to have a negative view of what’s happening in the country o Most (80%) believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction o 90% believe the economy is not working for them with 72% say the economy is getting worse o Trump continues to have a negative favorability rating with 76% viewing him unfavorably o The vast majority disapprove of the job he is doing with (79%) Ø Healthcare, the Economy, and Racism remain at the top of issues concerns for Black voters o Healthcare (61%) is consistently a priority for Black voters o As is the economy (53%) o Concerns around the coronavirus (29%) make it a top issue o Racism (25%) continues to be at the forefront of priority issues o Education (17%) and Environment/Climate Change (16%) round out the top 5 4 Key Takeaways – November Election Ø Majority of Black voters have no experience Voting By Mail and express some concerns with the process o Few (36%) have voted by mail but 49% say they think it will be no big deal o Many are worried their vote will not get counted (41%) if they voter by mail and some are concerned they will not be able to figure it out (7%) o 45% of those who did not vote in 2016 say they would prefer to vote by mail Ø Biden continues to show strong support in general election match up with some voters expressing increased enthusiasm with the possibility of a Black woman VP choice o Biden leads Trump 83-9 while Sanders leads Trump just 75-10 o Biden choosing a Black woman as his running mate appears to have some impact on enthusiasm. • A lot of Biden voters (43%) get more enthusiastic about him • Some who did not vote in 2016 (15%) say it would make them more likely to turn out and a few more of those voters (23%) say it would make them more likely to support Biden 5 Methodology Ø Online survey among 800 Black/African American registered voters in Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Ø Conducted April 1-5, 2020. Ø The margin of error is ±3.5 percentage points. The margin of error for subgroups varies and is higher. Ø Data was weighted by sex, age, education level and 9-way census region to better reflect the composition of registered Black voters. 6 Black voters in battleground states are majority Democrats, earn less than $60k and live in urban and suburban areas. Composition of Surveyed Voters Men Women Fluid 43% 57% <1% Urban 40% Suburban 40% Rural 20% 18-24 25-39 40-55 56-64 65+ 11% 22% 26% 24% 16% Democrat Independent Republican No college degree 73% Household income <$60,000 69% College graduate 27% Household income $60,000+ 23% 75% 20% 5% 7 The vast majority of Black voters believe the country is headed in the wrong direction and nearly three in four say that economic conditions have gotten worse. Would you say things in the nation today are generally headed in the right direction or would you say things are off on the wrong track? Wrong track 80 Right direction 20 Is the economy getting...? 72 10 Better 18 About the same Worse 8 Trump remains very unpopular among Black voters and more than three quarters do not think he is doing a good job as president. Donald Trump Favorable Rating Very favorable Somewhat favorable 17 10 7 Very unfavorable Somewhat unfavorable Donald Trump Job Rating Excellent Good Poor Not so good 76 79 12 25 64 21 54 15 6 9 Nearly all Black votes think the coronavirus is a real threat, the majority say it is affecting them, and more than half are “very concerned” about themselves or someone in their family getting the coronavirus. Do you think the coronavirus is a real threat or blown out of proportion? And is the coronavirus affecting you and your daily life? No, not affecting me Real threat 89 Over blown 11 Yes 75 No 25 Yes, affecting me How concerned are you about you or someone in your family getting the coronavirus? Very concerned Not concerned at all Somewhat concerned Not too concerned 86 29 57 14 9 5 10 Overall, Black voters strongly disapprove of the job Donald Trump and Mike Pence are doing handling coronavirus, but give other elected officials, the media and the CDC much more positive ratings. They save their highest praise for their community. Job Rating – Coronavirus Outbreak Excellent Good Poor 76 62 29 50 50 57 43 38 34 24 47 39 38 30 17 7 Donald Trump 64 45 51 33 36 8 Mike Pence 11 12 12 10 American public Your Senators 70 73 75 77 44 47 49 59 30 10 27 28 13 Member of Congress Not so good 26 20 Your governor 26 27 25 24 18 26 19 18 9 The Media 6 CDC 18 6 Your neighbors 11 Black voters do not trust Trump or Pence to give them accurate information about the coronavirus and are more likely to trust their other leaders and the media. They hold the Centers for Disease Control in the highest regard. Trust to Give You Accurate and Truthful Information About Coronavirus Outbreak Trust a great deal Trust somewhat Do not trust at all 78 63 55 22 15 37 36 44 23 7 Donald Trump 43 39 27 10 Mike Pence 16 14 Your Senators 46 43 51 25 27 81 73 70 67 60 Do not really trust 33 30 22 16 Member of Congress 10 18 27 11 27 27 12 Your governor 17 The media 38 19 12 7 CDC 12 Black voters are attuned to what is happening in the country with 81% saying they are paying close attention to the news and 89% likely to vote in the 2020 elections. How closely would you say that you have been following news and information about what is happening with politics and about candidates? Not at all closely Not closely at all 6 NotNot that that closely closely 14 Very Very closely closely 39 Somewhat Somewhat closely closely 42 In November of 2020, there will be a general election for President, U.S. Senate, Congress and other offices. I know November of next year is still a long way off, but how likely would you say you are to vote? Definitely going to vote 79 Probably going to vote 10 Chances are 50-50 7 Probably not going to vote 2 Definitely not going to vote 1 13 Biden leads Trump 83% to 9%, while Sanders wins the vote by a smaller margin of 75% to 10%. 2020 Vote for President Biden Trump Someone else Not Sure 83 Sanders Trump Someone else Not Sure 75 9 2 Trump vs. Biden 5 10 8 6 Trump vs. Sanders 14 Biden choosing a Black woman as his running mate has some impact - voters already supporting him are more enthusiastic in their support, converts a small portion of Trump voters, and persuades some voters who did not vote in 2016. If Joe Biden becomes the Democratic nominee for president against Donald Trump and he chooses a Black woman to be his running mate, which of the following best describes your reaction? I lready plan to vote for him, but I would be more enthusiastic about it It would make me more likely to turn out and vote Already plan to vote for him, and it does not change things much It would actually make me more likely to vote for Biden 43 31 23 3 Biden Voters 8 Trump Voters 15 Didn't Vote in 2016 15 Few Black Americans have voted by mail before, and nearly half have concerns about their ballots not being counted or that voting by mail will be difficult but would still use this method if the November election is one where everyone votes by mail. Some people are talking about changing the election in November to one where everyone votes by mail, because of coronavirus. First, have you ever voted my mail before? If that did happen and the election in November was one where everyone votes by mail, which of the following best describes your attitude? No big deal, I will vote by mail I would do it, but I worry that my ballot would not get counted I would try to do it, but I worry that it will be hard to figure out It makes no difference because I still do not plan to vote No 64 Yes 36 49 41 7 4 16 There is no clear preference among Black voters for how they would like to cast their vote in the November election. However, among those who did not vote in 2016, nearly half would prefer voting by mail. If it were up to you, would you would you rather…? Vote by mail Drop my ballot off at my polling place 38 Vote in person at my polling place Not vote at all 45 39 24 21 18 13 3 Registered Voters Didn't vote in 2016 17 Health care and the economy dominate the issues for Black voters. What are the most important issues for you in the upcoming election for President? You can choose up to THREE. 61 Health care 53 Jobs and the economy 29 Protecting us from coronavirus 25 Racism and discrimination 17 16 Education The environment and climate 12 10 10 9 9 8 8 7 Police accountability Commonsense gun reform Reducing crime and violence Housing Women's reproductive rights Immigration reform Criminal justice reform Voting rights LGBTQ rights 3 18