African Americans in the Republican Party: Choosing the Road Less Traveled

ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Phillip Ardoin Ph.D., Professor of American Political Institutions and Department Chair (Creator)
Institution
Appalachian State University (ASU )
Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/

Abstract: While most African Americans identify with the Democratic Party, a small minority chooses to identify and support the party of Lincoln. However, very little is known about the demographic make-up or policy preferences of these individuals. Utilizing the 1992-2002 American National Election Studies, we provide a multivariate analysis of the demographic characteristics and policy leanings of African American Republicans. Our analysis suggests several systematic patterns regarding African Americans’ Republican Party identification. First, as with the general population, we find they are more likely to be male, from the South and to identify themselves as conservatives. However, unlike the general population, we find they are not more likely to maintain upper or middle incomes or to view religion as an important guide in their life. Third, we find African Americans born after 1950 are more likely to identify themselves as Republican. Fourth, we find African American Republicans feel less warmth toward blacks than the majority of their brethren and are less likely to view race or social welfare issues as significant problems in America. Ultimately, we conclude racial issues are still the key to understanding African American Partisanship.

Additional Information

Publication
Ardoin, Phillip and Ronald J Vogel. (2006) “African Americans in the Republican Party: Choosing the Road Less Traveled,” American Review of Politics, Spring/Summer 2006. Published by the University of Arkansas (ISSN: 1051-5054) Permission to archive received from the editor, Andrew Dowdle, Oct 20, 2010.
Language: English
Date: 2006

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