The latest on SB4, the Texas push to control the U.S. border
State efforts to override federal immigration policies tend to backfire, research shows.
Why U.S. data forms are adding new race and ethnicity options
Many Americans welcome the shift in how the government tallies people of Hispanic/Latino and MENA descent.
America is less polarized by race – but more polarized about race
The pro-GOP shift among people of color is making racial attitudes more important to politics, not less.
Good to Know: Intersectionality
It’s a way of looking at how laws, institutions, and identities are shaped by numerous interlocking forces such as bias about race, sex, socioeconomic status, gender, and sexuality.
Good Playlist: Immigration podcasts ▶️
Hear about everything from individual immigrants' stories to the latest in policy debates.
How Native women in state legislatures are changing politics
From tribal sovereignty to missing and murdered Indigenous women, they’re responding to Native concerns.
Will protests over the Israel-Hamas war shift U.S. policy?
Two experts share their insights on the growing number of U.S. protest events.
Why the first Black lesbian senator matters
The appointment of Laphonza Butler isn’t just “identity politics.”
How states make it harder to get food assistance
Hungry people face complex requirements.
How whiteness shapes U.S. immigration policy
Yalidy Matos's new book connects American racial politics and immigration policy.
Just seeing a Fox News logo prompts racial bias, new research suggests
It’s an example of what social scientists call ‘priming’
Biden’s marijuana policy may change attitudes toward immigrants
As states decriminalize cannabis, Republicans soften toward immigrants, our research finds
Is ‘Wakanda Forever’ too ‘woke’ for Marvel’s own good?
That’s what some critics argue. Let’s look at the numbers.
Latinos who use Spanish-language social media get more misinformation
That could affect their votes – and their safety from covid-19.
Can young voters help Democrats hold Congress?
Both Gen Z and millennials are just as motivated to vote as they were in 2018, the GenForward survey found.
Afro-Latino politicians could bridge the African American-Latino divide
In the U.S., Dominicans are the Hispanic group with the largest Black population. Many are pressured to identify as either Black or Latino, not both.
Latino leaders could collaborate with Black communities. Why don’t they?
The two groups have different views on whether racism is systemic or not, our research finds. It wasn’t always this way.
Why are prominent Los Angeles Latinos saying such racist things?
Many marginalized communities adopt anti-Black racism to secure their halting gains as new Americans. Latinos fit this pattern, our research finds.
How Black and Latino people did in this last round of redistricting
We examined the first redistricting round since the Supreme Court’s Shelby County v. Holder decision ended ‘preclearance,’ comparing it to the last cycle’s districts
Will misinformation keep Latinos from voting in the midterms?
That depends in part on where they get their news. Here’s what my research found.
Who’s getting vaccinated? The answer has changed since the first wave.
At first, areas dense with Black and Latino Americans were left behind. Now, counties dominated by Whites are the laggards.
College students have been voting at record rates. Why?
Whether they show up for the November 2022 elections may depend on what colleges do
How will the end of Roe affect IVF?
Our research suggests that Republicans and Democrats want to preserve infertility care – although some laws could have unintended consequences.
How the U.S. census ignores Afro-Latinos
Afro-Latinos are the most vulnerable to discrimination, but their official invisibility makes them harder to serve
When do communities of color favor more policing?
New York Mayor Eric Adams argues that Black Lives Matter should support police, who protect New Yorkers from gun violence. Many Black, Latino and working-class New Yorkers voted for him.
With the 2022 midterms ahead, expect another Latino misinformation crisis
Our research identified which Latino voters are especially susceptible.
Biden vowed to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court. It might be good politics.
Our research finds that race significantly shapes Americans’ attitudes toward judicial nominees
California’s city councils are getting more diverse. This law made that happen.
Electing people by district instead of citywide improves minority representation
Republicans and Democrats have split over whether to support multiethnic democracy, our research shows
Trump activated what we call a ‘MAGA faction,’ motivated by animus toward marginalized groups
Boston now has an Asian American woman as mayor. Why are so few women of color in elected office?
My research examines why women of color reach the ballot less often than men of color, White women and White men
Most Americans want Congress to support child care and elder care, our research finds — even many Republicans
Will Congressional Republicans listen?
The U.S. is more racially diverse than ever. Will people of color unify politically?
African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos have very different concerns — until you remind them of their common experiences as people of color
Few people are expected to vote in this year’s ‘off-cycle’ elections. That can be fixed.
Holding state and local elections in even years — alongside national elections — means that voters more accurately represent the cities they live in
The new census numbers kicked off redistricting. That’s even more complicated than you may realize.
Here are four things to know.
White Republicans and White Democrats are moving farther apart on race. Or is that just an education gap?
To find out, I looked at six ways to measure White attitudes on race — and how those influenced their votes.
In countries as different as Colombia and Lebanon, LGBTQ advocates are helping lead protests and build peace
Research finds that including women in peacemaking leads to more stable agreements. Expanding that to include LGBTQ people can improve results even more.
How racially targeted mass shootings can alter community politics
When Black Americans are the targets, other Black Americans respond with anger and search for more information. That’s not the same for other racial groups.
Americans aren’t learning about anti-Asian bias. We have the data.
We found some evidence of change, but not in the ways you might expect.
Black women are willing to wait longer in line to vote than any other demographic group
Black voters’ greater determination to vote — despite longer lines — may influence election results
The ‘model minority’ myth hurts Asian Americans – and even leads to violence
Assuming that anti-racist efforts don’t work for Asian Americans makes discrimination harder to eliminate
Post-prison, people just want normal things. Americans say that’s too much to expect.
Stigma holds back those who’ve served time, and it’s visited on their children, my research finds
Americans support releasing migrant children from detention and oppose family separation, new data shows
People who do support such policies feel that the U.S. is culturally threatened by Latin American immigration
If you want to know what Americans think about bombing Iran, find out what they think about race
That matters — because when political leaders shape foreign policy, they keep public opinion in mind.
Recent attacks could push Asian Americans to get more politically active, research suggests
Being targeted by bias can drive people with extremely different backgrounds to identify under a common identity
Democrats underperformed their expectations in 2020. That’s not surprising, considering where the country is.
Americans live in an evenly divided country
Latina and Black women lost jobs in record numbers. Policies designed for all women don’t necessarily help.
Here’s what our research found
When local police cooperate with ICE, Latino communities under-report crime. Here’s the data.
Such policies hurt public health and safety for upward of one-fifth of the country.
A Native American may be taking control of the Cabinet department that has shaped Native American lives
Native Americans have long had good reason to distrust the Interior Department. But their increasing political clout may mean that things are changing.
With Democrats in charge in Washington, expect red states’ policies to get redder
That’s what our research finds
How incoming Sen. Alex Padilla could help Democrats among Latino voters
Will Padilla inspire new Latino candidates as well?
The Capitol siege shows how White Americans can express anger that Black Americans cannot
Angry Whites are far more likely to take political action.
11 openly LGBTQ lawmakers will take their seats in the next Congress. That’s a record in both numbers and diversity.
The “rainbow wave” hit state legislatures, as well.
Women of color won congressional seats in record numbers. How will they legislate?
Our research finds that Black and Latina female legislators focus especially on helping low-income communities of color.
Trump’s election fraud allegations suggest military voters uniformly supported him. It’s not so.
Three things to know about how active-duty military and veterans vote.
Don’t trust the exit polls. This explains why.
Analysts using the National Exit Poll to understand how various groups voted might want to be cautious.
One in four Latinos voted for Trump last time. They’ll likely do so again.
The Latino groups that lean Republican are the segments that are growing
We have data on who voted early in key battleground states and whom they may be voting for
Republicans started slow but are making up ground.
How will Florida’s Cuban Americans vote? That’s more complicated than many believe.
Let’s debunk the myths.
How do newspapers cover racial and religious minorities? Here’s the data.
Notably, coverage of Muslims was markedly negative in 2019.
Trump’s attacks prompted Latino immigrants to get more involved in American civic life
Our surveys find a spike in engagement after the 2017 inauguration
Identity politics can help Biden win in November
Appeals for racial equity can motivate Democrats to vote.
Research shows just how much more power White voters wield in local politics
That’s true even when Blacks and Latinos are in the majority
Does Yale discriminate against Asian Americans and Whites? It’s the wrong question.
Here’s why you can’t compare Asians and African Americans.
Americans overwhelmingly oppose school reopenings, data finds
Black and Latinx Americans are especially worried about reopenings — but are also worried about their children falling behind
Kamala Harris is likely to bring in Indian American voters, this research finds
Indian Americans are especially likely to vote when another Indian American is on the ballot — more so than people of other minority racial or ethnic identities.
George Floyd’s killing is changing how some white evangelicals talk about race
Here’s the history to this shift.
New data finds Black and Hispanic Americans more likely to take precautions against coronavirus
Sen. Thom Tillis is wrong about why Hispanics have higher rates of illness
Who thinks that Latinos shouldn’t be able to vote?
Here’s how our new study measured this under-acknowledged form of racism.
Trump wants schools to reopen. What would persuade Latinos to send their kids?
They’re already on the front lines of the pandemic — and yet they worry about their children’s education.
Latino voters could be pivotal in November. Here’s how mailers mobilize them to vote.
Our research looked at whether English or bilingual letters were more effective.
‘People of color’ are protesting. Here’s what you need to know about this new identity.
Black leaders started using the term “people of color” in the 1960s. Today, it means something more.
America’s classrooms shut down this spring. Civics lessons shifted to the streets.
This is what protests teach about political engagement.
What helps non-black people support Black Lives Matter? A signal from someone in their own ethnic group.
Our surveys uncover how this messaging works
Protesters want justice — including on social, economic and climate demands
Our surveys suggest the public supports green stimulus plans
Black people have protested police killings for years. Here’s why officials are finally responding.
People are risking more to protest during a pandemic. That matters.
George Floyd’s killing was just the spark. Here’s what really made the protests explode.
Racial discrimination pervades nearly every aspect of American life. Here’s the data, from health care to housing.
73% of Democrats are wearing masks to fight coronavirus. Only 59% of Republicans are.
And people of color are more likely to wear masks than white people
Wisconsin is scheduled to vote today. How will the pandemic affect turnout?
The state’s push to expand early and mail-in voting probably won’t increase black, Hispanic or Democratic votes
Americans who are biased against Asians are more likely to fear the coronavirus
Hearing leaders’ anti-Asian and xenophobic rhetoric may boost that anxiety.
Trump’s rhetoric does encourage open prejudice and bias. We checked.
When other politicians don’t object, it amplifies that ‘Trump effect’
Several black mayors have endorsed Bloomberg. Will that influence black voters?
Some endorsements matter more than others
Would Booker and Castro be in tonight’s debate if polls counted people of color accurately?
Most polls misrepresent the Democratic electorate. Here’s how that skews the results.
Hate crimes are on the rise. What does it take to get state governments to respond?
We were surprised by our findings
Who’s a terrorist and who’s mentally ill? We looked at 10 years of news coverage to find out.
When a perpetrator is Muslim, there’s a 488 percent greater chance an attack will be called terrorism.
What’s behind the desire for ‘skilled’ immigrants? Racial prejudice.
New research shows that the preference for “skills” conceals bias against Latinos.
New research shows just how badly a citizenship question would hurt the 2020 Census
It could lead to a huge undercount, particularly of Latinos and immigrants
Black candidates know they have to be careful in talking about race. Here’s what the research suggests.
The 2020 Democratic presidential primaries will have the most diverse
Sure, a lot of newspaper coverage of Latinos is negative — but not when it comes to cultural achievements
[caption id="attachment_82969" align="alignnone" width="960"] Miguel Saavedra, left, and his friend
Since the NFL anthem protests, white fans like the white players more — and the black ones less.
[caption id="attachment_82731" align="aligncenter" width="960"] San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid
Is Texas finally turning blue? We looked at the electorate to find out.
[caption id="attachment_81680" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Beto O'Rourke, then running for the
Republicans’ hard-line stance on immigration may alienate millennials for years
In the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections, President Trump
Is it possible to combat appeals to prejudice? Here’s new evidence from Duncan Hunter’s ‘anti-Muslim’ campaign ad.
[caption id="attachment_80649" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Rep. Duncan D. Hunter (R-Calif.) walks
Eight white-majority districts elected Black members of Congress this year
That's a breakthrough.
Majorities of millennials who plan to vote support Democrats — except among white men
Many media outlets have been reporting about how this year’s
What Americans really think about birthright citizenship
[caption id="attachment_79705" align="aligncenter" width="960"] More than 220 people from more
The turnout gap between whites and racial minorities is larger than you think — and hard to change
[caption id="attachment_78207" align="aligncenter" width="960"] A man arrives to vote at
We gathered data on every confirmed, line-of-duty police killing of a civilian in 2014 and 2015. Here’s what we found.
[caption id="attachment_77172" align="aligncenter" width="960"] In June, demonstrators protest the fatal
What data on 20 million traffic stops can tell us about ‘driving while black’
Editors' note: In this archival post, Good Authority publisher John Sides
Americans vastly overestimate the number of immigrants. But what if it doesn’t matter?
[caption id="attachment_51343" align="aligncenter" width="960"] New U.S. citizens wave flags during
This is why white evangelicals still support Donald Trump. (It’s not economic anxiety.)
[caption id="attachment_74639" align="aligncenter" width="960"] President Trump speaks at a rally