Editorial note to readers
A version of this study was originally published on June 10. We previously used the term “racial conspiracy theory” as editorial shorthand to describe a complex and mixed set of findings. By using these words, our reporting distorted rather than clarified the point of the study. Changes in this version include: an updated title, new “explanatory” paragraphs, some additional context, and direct quotes from focus group participants.
Claudia Deane, Mark Hugo Lopez, and Neha Sahgal contributed to the revision of this report.
The Pew Research Center conducted this study to explore how Black Americans think about the factors that contribute to or hinder their success in the United States. An earlier 2024 report explored the success factors, and this current report focuses on the obstacles. Based on their real personal and collective historical experiences with racial discrimination, Black Americans may be suspicious of the actions of American institutions.
These doubts often circulate in black spaces as ideas about intentional or negligent harm that prevents people of color from flourishing. For this report, black adults were asked in a survey how familiar they are with these ideas. Then, regardless of their familiarity, they were asked if they thought these things were limited to the past or could still happen today. Detailed examples of these ideas and related survey results are discussed at length in Chapters 2-7.
We surveyed 4,736 American adults who identify as black and non-Hispanic, multiracial black and non-Hispanic, or black and Hispanic. The survey was conducted from September 12 to 24, 2023 and includes 1,755 black adults in the American Center Trends Panel (ATP) and 2,981 black adults in the Ipsos Knowledge Panel.
Respondents in both panels are recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. Recruiting panelists by mail ensures that nearly all black adults in the US have a chance to be selected. This gives us confidence that each sample can represent the entire population (see our Methods 101 explanation of random sampling). For more information on this survey, refer to its methodology and main questionnaire.
This study also included seven focus groups with black adults of varying ages, income levels, political affiliations, and geographic locations. Conducted online from May 23 to June 1, 2023, these panels gave Black adults the opportunity to describe how they defined success and quantify the barriers to their success. For more information, read the focus group methodology.
conditions Black Americans, Adults of color AND Black people are used interchangeably throughout this report to refer to American adults who self-identify as Black, either alone or in combination with other races or Hispanic identity.
Throughout this report, Non-Hispanic Black respondents are those who identify as single-race black and say they have no Hispanic ancestry. Black Hispanic respondents are those who identify as black and say they have a Hispanic background. We use the terms Black Hispanic AND Black Hispanic mutually. Multiracial respondents are those who indicate two or more racial backgrounds (one of which is black) and say they are not Hispanic.
In this report, expatriate refers to persons born outside the 50 US states or the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico or other US territories.
To create high-, middle-, and low-income strata, respondents’ 2021 household income was adjusted for differences in purchasing power by geographic region and household size. Respondents were then placed into income levels: Average income defined as two-thirds to double the average annual income for the entire survey sample. Lower income falls below that range, and upper income lies on it.
Throughout this report, High-income black adults are those who have a family income in the upper income level. Middle-income black adults AND Lower income black adults have a family income respectively at the level of middle and low income. For more information on how the income levels were created, read the methodology.
Throughout this report,the democratsare respondents who identify politically with the Democratic Party or those who are independent or identify with any other party, but lean toward the Democratic Party. Similarly,The Republicansare those who identify politically with the Republican Party and those who are independent or identify with any other party but lean toward the Republican Party.
While many black Americans see themselves as at least somewhat successful and are optimistic about their financial future, previous work from the Pew Research Center also finds that most believe American institutions are failing when it comes to treating people fairly. With color.
A new analysis suggests that many black Americans believe that racial bias in American institutions is not simply a matter of passive neglect; it is the result of deliberate design. Specifically, large majorities describe the prison (74%), political (67%), and economic (65%) systems in the U.S., among others, as designed to hold back people of color at least to some extent. large or to a fair extent.
Black Americans’ distrust of American institutions is rooted in history, from slavery to the enforcement of Jim Crow laws in the South, to the rise of mass incarceration and more.
Several studies show that racial disparities in income, wealth, education, incarceration, and health outcomes persist to this day.
The purpose of the current study is to explore how Black Americans think about American institutions and the impact they have on their success.
Specifically, we examine the extent to which Black Americans believe that American institutions intentionally or negligently harm people of color and how personal experiences of racial discrimination influence these beliefs.
Black Americans’ beliefs and narratives about institutional harm have long been studied by scholars in the health and social sciences and humanities. Stories about how institutions were designed to hold down people of color also appeared in some of the online focus groups the Pew Research Center conducted with this study last year. (Selected quotes from our focus group discussions can be found in an accompanying text box.)
To measure the prevalence of these mistrust stories, we conducted a survey of 4,736 black adults in the US from September 12 to 24, 2023.
First, respondents were asked if they had ever heard a series of statements about how American institutions could intentionally or negligently harm people of color. Respondents were then asked if they thought these harms were happening to people of color today. Here are some key findings about black Americans’ belief in institutional distrust.
The report also finds that black Americans who have experienced racial discrimination are more likely to believe that American institutions intentionally or negligently harm people of color.
There are also modest differences among black Americans by gender, education, family income, and political affiliation. However, majorities in many black demographic subgroups are familiar with these statements about the intentions of many American institutions and say these things are happening to people of color today.
In their own words: Quotes from our focus groups of Black Americans in 2023
To understand how Black Americans view success and obstacles in the U.S., in May and June 2023, we conducted seven online focus groups nationally among Blacks of varying income, age, and ideological backgrounds. For details on how the groups were defined and recruited, refer to the focus group methodology.
One theme that emerged: Some participants felt they were up against a system deliberately designed to hold them back. Below are some illustrative quotes:
“I believe there is … strategic, behind-the-scenes work being done to sabotage the efforts of a person of color. … You can be on the road to success with nothing standing in your way. But then, all it takes is one incident that was planned and plotted against you to destroy your life.”
– Woman, low income group, early 50s
“As black people we are always fighting some kind of war. … We always reach some kind of height of success. And then there is always something that brings us down. …There’s always something in the way.”
– Woman, group of young adults, late 20s
“Well, there are institutionalized things that are invisible. …There are institutionalized things that are in place that one has always suspected, but because they are apparently good, you can’t point them out. …There are things that I think are purposely built into society or industry or whatever to keep certain numbers down because of access to financial gain.”
– Male, upper income group, late 30s
“I trust the government to a certain extent, but when it comes to some things, I don’t. Take the pandemic, for example. They had all this help out there for people, but there were some people who applied for help who just couldn’t get it and they were literally just struggling to get by. … I feel like we black people get the least help because we always got the short end of the stick.”
– Woman, Republican group, late 20s
“This is a capitalist society. And I feel like black men have to be the ones at the bottom in order for this system to succeed. … I think some hands might be part of it. I don’t want to speculate, but it still seems to be an established system where black people, especially black men, have not been successful for a while. We might even go back to Black Wall Street, where we were starting to have a little bit of success, and then that was taken away from the powers that be. So whatever the system is, it’s a pretty good system that’s not that easily discovered.”
– Man, Republican group, late 30s
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