Black registered voters are much more positive in their assessment of Kamala Harris than Donald Trump. About two-thirds of Black voters think Harris would make a good president, while three-quarters say Trump would not be a good president.
Male and female Black registered voters hold similar views on each candidate’s suitability to serve. Black voters over age 45 are more positive about Harris and more negative about Trump than those ages 18-44.
Sixty-seven percent of Black registered voters say they are Democrats or lean Democratic, while 10% identify as Republican or lean that way. Independents, those who say they don’t lean toward either party, make up 23% of Black voters. There are not enough Republican or independent Black voters to analyze their views separately.
The economy and health care are the top voting issues for Black registered voters. However female Black voters are more likely than male Black voters to consider abortion (63% vs. 42%) and gun policy (76% vs. 56%) as one of the most important issues when deciding how to vote.
Black registered voters give Harris the advantage over Trump on handling the issues they care most about. Harris’ largest advantage with Black voters comes on abortion policy: 74% of Black voters say Harris is better equipped to handle this issue compared with 6% who say Trump. Trump’s best issues are the economy and immigration, but it is only about 1 in 5 Black voters who trust him over Harris.
Most Black registered voters say Harris better represents their background and culture, views on important policies, and generation. Fifty-six percent feel she represents their religious views, compared with 6% who say Trump and 6% who think they represent their religious views equally. Twenty-eight percent don’t think either candidate represents their religious views.
Seventy-four percent of Black registered voters say race is extremely or very important to their identity. Among them, 81% say Harris is a better representative of their background or culture than Trump.
Fifty-five percent of Black voters think of their age as an important aspect of their identity and 73% say Harris better represents their age group or generation than Trump.
And 53% of Black voters consider their religion to be an extremely or very important part of their identity. Among them, 64% think Harris is a better representative of their religious views or beliefs, while 7% say Trump is and 22% think neither candidate represents their religious views.
Nearly 6 in 10 Black registered voters see Harris as someone who is tough enough to be president and would fight for people like them. About half think Harris will change the country for the better.
Twenty-two percent think Trump is tough enough to be president, but only about 10% of Black voters say he would fight for people like them or change the country for the better.
About 7 in 10 Black voters say the phrase “will say anything to win the election” describes Trump at least very well, whereas only about one-quarter say that describes Harris.
Most Black registered voters think the election will have a large impact on the country’s future (73%), the future of democracy in the United States (69%), and the economy (68%). Only 47% think the outcome of the presidential election will have much impact on them personally.
Sixty percent of Black registered voters think Harris is more likely to win the election, while 12% say Trump is more likely to win, and 13% think both candidates are equally likely to prevail in November.
About 7 in 10 Black registered voters have a very or somewhat favorable opinion of Harris, while 8 in 10 have a negative view of Trump.
Black voters are slightly more positive about Harris than Joe Biden. Sixty-three percent of Black voters have a favorable opinion of Biden, and 29 percent have a negative view.
Overall, about three-quarters of all registered voters think there is at least some discrimination against Black men and Black women in the United States these days. Two-thirds say women in general experience discrimination, while only a third say men have to contend with discrimination.
About 9 in 10 Black voters say there is discrimination against Black women and against Black men. Black voters are more likely than white or Hispanic voters to say there is discrimination against women generally, and Black men and women.
The nationwide poll was conducted September 12-16, 2024 using the AmeriSpeak® Panel, the probability-based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 1,771 self-reported registered voters, 477 of whom are Black. The margin of sampling error for registered voters is +/- 3.4 percentage points; +/- 6.1 percentage points for Black registered voters.
- Suggested Citation: AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. (October 2024). https://apnorc.org/projects/black-voters-trust-kamala-harris-to-handle-the-issues-they-care-most-about
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