Class and Conservatism in the Black Community

Abstract

Is there a growing middle-class conservative movement in black America? Previous attempts to analyze conservatism in the black community have been plagued with several problems, among them small black sample sizes in national surveys. This article tests three hypotheses about the relationship of class to conservatism in the black community using a national sample of 1,067 blacks and 1,414 whites. The major findings were that (a) on social welfare issues, the black middle class is more conservative than the black lower class, but the cleavage in the black community is smaller than in the white one; (b) on affirmative action, the black middle class appears to be more conservative than the black lower class, but this conclusion must be hedged with several caveats; and (c) at each income level, blacks are substantially more liberal than whites on each issue examined.There has been growing speculation that middle-class blacks are becoming more conservative. Observers, such as William J. Wilson (1978) and Thomas Sowell (198 1), point to the increasing impact of class on black political behavior and attitudes. This impact is thought to have created a widening gulf between middle-class blacks, who are doing relatively well and whose opportunities are widening, and lower class blacks, whose condition is worsening as unemployment increases, rates of illegitimacy spiral, and poverty deepens (

Black conservatism in America

“…Those identifying themselves as liberal decreased from 54% in 1972 to 40% in 1998. These results contradict earlier studies, which conclude there is no black conservative group (Seltzer and Smith, 1985;Welch and Combs, 1985;Welch and Foster, 1987). The data also indicate a sharp shift in ideology between 1976 and 1980.…”

“…More specifically, she finds that the percent of blacks identifying as conservative jumped from 12% in 1974 to 30% in 1980. Other studies however, find that blacks remain liberal (Seltzer and Smith, 1985;Welch and Combs, 1985;Welch and Foster, 1987). In short, research is contradictory.…”

Strategic Assimilation or Creation of Symbolic Blackness: Middle-Class Blacks in Suburban Contexts

“…Very often, the black middle class is the focal point of those debates (Coner-Edwards and Spurlock 1988;Dent 2000;Horton et al 2000;Hyra 2006;Jackson and Jackson 2001;Ogbu 2003;Pattillo 1998;Persons 1997;St. Jean and Feagin 1998;Weitzer 2000;Welch and Foster 1987;West 2001;Wilson 1978;Wilson 1987). Wilson (1978) created a firestorm of sorts when he published his work on the declining significance of race.…”

Compassionate Conservatism and African Americans: Politics Puts Faith to Work and Gains New Allies?

“…In short, African Americans as a group are still more liberal than White Americans at all income levels (Dawson 1994). While many studies suggest that there is no new African American middleclass conservative group (Seltzer and Smith 1985;Welch and Combs 1985;Welch and Foster 1987;Smith and Seltzer 2000), Lewis (2001) demonstrates the percentage of African Americans identifying themselves as liberal decreased by approximately twenty percentage points. What do these trends mean for the Republican Party?…”

“…While research indicates that African Americans and conservatives agree on a wide range of social issues, African Americans remain overwhelmingly liberal and thus loyal to the Democratic Party (Meyerson 1984;Tryman 1986;Welch and Foster 1987;Bolce et al 1992b;Dawson 1994;Simpson 1998;Smith and Seltzer 2000).…”