Black women are most worried about the outcome of the 2016 election
Nearly three-in-four African American women are “strongly” afraid of what will happen if their candidate loses the presidential election, a recent Gallup poll has found.
More than half of all Americans strongly agreed that they feared the outcome of the race between presumptive nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, but 72 percent of black women felt that way, far more than black men and white and Hispanic men and women.
Black women voted at a higher rate than any of these groups in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, with fully 74 percent of eligible African American female voters casting ballots in the most recent contest. If their fears about the outcome of this year’s election propel them to the polls in November, they could play a major role in choosing the next president.
Pundits have focused on the fervor of Trump supporters in this election cycle, with much speculation around whether African Americans will match the record turnout levels that helped to fuel Barack Obama’s successful historic candidacies. African American activists and consultants predict that black women will again show up at the polls in large numbers because of their concerns about how the tense racial climate will affect them and their families.
Washington Post-ABC News polls averaged for June and July found 92 percent of black women adults supporting Clinton versus 5 percent for Trump. That’s roughly similar to how the group voted in 2012 exit polling, with 96 percent supporting Barack Obama’s re-election and 3 percent backing Republican Mitt Romney.
[As GOP convenes, Clinton plans to launch major voter mobilization drive]
Post-ABC polling across June and July also found that 95 percent of black women had an unfavorable view of Trump, while 81 percent had a favorable view of Clinton. Because the sample sizes of African American women are small, these results have a margin of error was plus or minus 10.5 percentage points. The poll also found younger African Americans were among the most likely to be fearful of the election outcome – 71 percent of those ages 18-49 felt “strongly” afraid of what would happen if their favored candidate loses, compared with 54 percent of those who are older.
The Gallup poll, which was released last week and interviewed more than 900 African American and Hispanic adults and over 1,300 whites, showed Hispanics as the least concerned about the outcome of the election. Only 38 percent of Hispanics said they are “strongly” afraid of what will happen if their candidate doesn’t win the election. By contrast, 64 percent of African Americans and 53 percent of white expressed strong fears.
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