Many of the assumptions people have about black youth—that
they are politically detached and negatively influenced by rap
music and videos—are false stereotypes, according to a new
University of Chicago study by Prof. Cathy Cohen, based on surveys
and conversations with the youth themselves.
Black youth say they are politically involved, critical of many
messages in rap and skeptical of the idea that the country has
entered a post-racial era. They also are socially conservative on
political issues such same-sex marriage, said Cohen, the David and
Mary Winton Green Professor of Political Science and lead
researcher of the study.
Using survey questions and focus group discussions, the study
provides new insights into a youth culture often criticized and
frequently misunderstood. The study comes as attitudes among black
youth are being examined in light of the election of President
Barack Obama, which brought hope as well as disappointment for
people who expected more change, she said.
Black youth are among the most marginalized groups in society,
Cohen said. On average they have far fewer resources than other
young people and face higher drop-out rates, especially among young
black men in urban areas, as well as greater levels of
incarceration and dangerous levels of violence. Many of their
cultural choices, such as rap music, have garnered criticism from
those inside and outside of black communities.
The situation has led to the emergence of popular "partial
truths" about black youth behavior, based in part on the images
featured in some rap music videos, Cohen said, such as sagging
pants, denigrating language toward women and blatant sexuality.
Many people also feel that black youths are uninterested in
politics. Those impressions about black youth distract from their
real problems, brought on by structural racism and a lack of
opportunities resulting from conservative policies that focus on
shrinking government assistance to those in need, Cohen said. "In
all fairness, black youth are also very honest in highlighting
their own faulty decision-making, underscoring their own agency in
shaping their life options."
"Ironically, missing from much of the debate over the lives of
black youth and the political course of the country has been the
sustained and detailed presentation of the voices, opinions and
attitudes of black youth," said Cohen, who provides those
perspectives in a new book, Democracy Remixed, Black Youth and the
Future of American Politics, published Sept. 12 by Oxford
University Press. "This book fills a void by asking young people
directly what they think."
The research for this work, widely known as the Black Youth
Project, included a national representative survey of young people
ages 15-25 that included an oversample of black youth. The survey
was developed by Cohen's research team of graduate and
undergraduate researchers and was fielded by the National Opinion
Research Center at the University of Chicago in 2005. The survey
was followed by in-depth interviews and an online panel survey by
Knowledge Networks, conducted in three waves between October 2008
and December 2009. Focus groups with black youth aged 18 to 24 also
were held in 2004 and 2009. The research was supported by a grant
from the Ford Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation.
Among the findings of the study:
- When compared with other young people, black youth are most
likely to be critical of rap music videos. The survey found that 41
percent felt that rap music videos should be more political,
compared with 23 percent of whites and 33 percent of Latinos.
- Black youth consistently hold the most conservative views on
questions of premarital sex, homosexuality and abortion. Among
black youth, 42 percent felt that sex before marriage is wrong,
compared with 28 percent of whites and 32 percent of Latinos. Among
blacks, 55 percent think that homosexuality is always wrong,
compared with 35 percent of whites and 36 percent of Latinos. The
survey also found that 47 percent of black youth feel that abortion
is always wrong, compared with 34 percent of whites and 46 percent
of Latinos. Black youth with more religious backgrounds were more
likely to hold conservative opinions.
- Black youth are politically engaged, particularly on the
Internet. They are described as a group of "digital Democrats" who
are more eager to be involved when digital networks facilitate
involvement. When asked if they wrote a blog or sent an e-mail
related to politics, 15 percent of black youth, 21 percent of
whites and 18 percent of Latinos said they had.
- Voting increased for the 2008 election, driven by Obama's
candidacy, and figures from the U.S. Census Bureau showed that
black youth had the highest percentage of voters among the three
groups studied.
Despite their eager participation, black youth were also
realistic about the meaning of the new age of hope Obama promised.
They still expected to experience discrimination throughout their
lives. Only 42 percent said they felt "like a full and equal
citizen of the country," compared with 66 percent of white youth.
Similarly, after the election of Barack Obama, a wide gap in the
perception of racism remained among black and white youth.
Sixty-nine percent of black youth believe that racism still remains
a major problem, compared to 32 percent of whites and 51 percent of
Latinos.
Focus group conversations showed that many black youth accepted
the limited potential of Obama's election to change their lives.
Obama had campaigned as a candidate for all groups and did not
position himself as aiming especially to improve the lot of black
Americans, Cohen pointed out.
"This group of young people, although exuberant over the first
African-American president, realize that they cannot count on him
or any other politician to singly change their condition," she
said. In their conversations, the black youth repeatedly pointed to
the need for community action, also part of Obama's message, as the
vehicle for change.
That perspective from young black people on political
participation can enhance the nation's politics, Cohen said. "Black
youth can help us to remix our democratic principles and practices,
recognizing that full membership and the participation of all must
be the basis for American politics in the 21st century."
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