After Buffalo, three quarters of Black Americans fear racially motivated attacks

Washington, DC, May 21, 2022 - A new survey from the Washington Post and Ipsos finds that most Black Americans think it is a bad time to be a Black person in America, and the sentiment has worsened since the mass shooting in Buffalo, NY. Additionally, large majorities of Black Americans report they are worried that they or a loved one will be attacked due to their race. Large majorities also believe that white supremacist views are a major threat to Black people, and a threat that has become a bigger problem over the last five years. And while large majorities of Black Americans are sad and angry about the murders in Buffalo, only a few report that they are surprised or shocked.

Detailed Findings

1. The number of Black Americans who believed it was a good time to be a Black person in America fell by nearly ten points, from 42% in early May before the shooting to 34% in mid-May after.

2. Three quarters (75%) of Black Americans report that white supremacist beliefs are a major threat to Black people in America today. Two-thirds (66%) say white supremacy has become a bigger problem over the last five years.

3. Majorities of Black Americans believe that personal family and upbringing (57%), social media (52%), and access to guns (63%) contribute a great deal to people committing hate crimes against Black Americans.

• Political leaders (46%), not enough teaching of tolerance in schools (45%), and people blaming Black people for their problems (47%) are also considered significant factors by large numbers of Black Americans.
• Personal mental health (36%) was not considered a significant factor by a majority of Black Americans.

4. Half of Black Americans (51%) haven’t considered buying a gun for protection since the Buffalo shooting. Along these lines, only a third (34%) reported feeling afraid because of the shooting.

5. Only one in ten (11%) Black Americans think the problem of racism in America will get better over their lives. Most (53%) believe it will get worse.

About the Study

This poll was jointly sponsored and funded by The Washington Post and Ipsos. The poll includes a random sample of 997 adults in the United States, as well as a partially overlapping sample of 1,248 non-Hispanic Black adults. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish.

The questionnaire was administered with the exact questions in the exact order as they appear in this document. Demographic questions are not shown. If a question was asked of a reduced base of the sample, a parenthetical preceding the question identifies the group asked. Phrases surrounded by parentheticals within questions indicate clauses that were randomly rotated for respondents.

Ipsos conducted sampling, interviewing and tabulation for the survey using the KnowledgePanel, a representative panel of adults ages 18 and over living in the United States. KnowledgePanel members are recruited through probability sampling methods using address-based sampling. Panel members who do not have internet access are provided with a tablet and internet service.

This survey uses statistical weighting procedures to account for deviations in the survey sample from known population characteristics, which helps correct for differential survey participation and random variation in samples. The overall sample and the non-Hispanic Black sample were weighted separately to match the makeup of the respective population demographics by sex, region, metropolitan status, age, education and household income according to the Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. The overall sample included an additional adjustment for race/ethnicity. Benchmarks for metropolitan status were from the Census Bureau’s March 2021 Current Population Survey.

The margin of sampling error for the sample of non-Hispanic Black Americans as well as the overall sample is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. For results based on other subgroups, the margin of sampling error may be higher. Note that sampling error is only one of many potential sources of error in this or any other public opinion poll.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Chris Jackson
Senior Vice President,
Public Affairs, U.S.
[email protected]

Mallory Newall
Vice President,
Public Affairs, U.S.
[email protected]

About Ipsos

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Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. We serve more than 5000 clients across the world with 75 business solutions.

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