special report - june 2020

Introduction

The Influencing Young America to Act Special Report reveals the actions young Americans are taking to address racial inequality, discrimination and social injustice for Black people in America in this unique moment.

On June 6, The New York Times summarized the state of the country after George Floyd, a Black male, died while in police custody:

"Passionate but peaceful crowds took to American streets as protests cohered into a movement. Demonstrations across the United States, which began as spontaneous eruptions of outrage after the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police less than two weeks ago, appeared to have cohered by Saturday into a nationwide movement protesting systemic racism."

Protesters across the country and around the world demand law enforcement reform. As they gather, health officials are still recommending social distancing and the use of face masks by the public to lessen the threat of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) transmission, though states are taking their first steps in reopening.

For this report, researchers asked respondents to self-identify their race/ethnic identity and allowed space for write-in answers. People are much more than their racial or ethnic identity. Researchers recognize that identifying people by race and reporting on actions that have to do with race are complex endeavors, and we have done so with the highest consideration.

Research Protocol

A quantitative approach was taken with an online survey fielded from 10 a.m. on June 8 to 6 a.m. on June 9, 2020, to collect data about the actions taken by young Americans (ages 18-30) related to racial inequality, discrimination and social injustice for Black people. The survey inquired about activities during the two weeks prior to June 8, 2020.

The survey had 1,076 respondents from a nationwide sample, producing a 99% confidence interval with a 3% margin of error. Because of the topic, researchers oversampled Black people to capture as many responses from the community most touched by the issue as possible. Toward this end, the report shares results of the national sample (n=1,076), white/caucasian (n=411), Black (n=400) and non-Black people of color (n=265) to show distinctions among young Americans where any exist.

Note that categories may not total 100% due to non-answers, multiple-choice questions and rounding.