Black voters are not enthusiastic about voting in 2024, signaling a potential problem for President Joe Biden's reelection effort, according to a new poll.
Black voters remained overwhelmingly loyal to the Democratic Party, with voting 92% voting for Biden in 2020, the Pew Research Center found. But a survey released Monday from In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda and PerryUndem revealed that 59% of Black voters are "almost certain" to vote this fall and just 12% "will probably" vote.
The results indicated that about 40% of Black voters are not certain they will vote in this year's elections. Additionally, 30% of respondents indicated the upcoming elections are not that important.
The poll also found that Biden has ostracized some potential supporters over his stance on the Israel-Hamas war. A full 20% said they're considering withholding their vote as an act of protest.
Pew provided a breakdown:
- 38% of voters aged 18 to 29 said they were almost certain to vote; 17% percent indicated they will probably vote.
- 44% of young Black voters said if they were to vote today it would be for Democrats. Of that group, 37% said they were unsure or they would not vote.
- 63% of those who took the survey had a favorable view of Joe Biden; 35% view him unfavorably.
According to the survey, the top issue for Black voters is the cost of living, with racial justice, healthcare, and education also ranked among other top voting concerns.
The findings came after of a New York Times/Siena poll showed that 23% of black voters would vote for former President Donald Trump. In the 2020 election, 8% of Black people voted for him, Pew Research data showed.