Most don’t see enough Black influence and representation in corporate America, politics, policing — CBS News poll

When it comes to Black influence and representation in the U.S., most agree there’s still room for improvement. Americans generally don’t think Black Americans have enough representation in various areas, including in corporate America, politics, and law enforcement.

These ideas divide along race and party lines. Large majorities of Black people say there’s not enough representation in three areas tested: “business and corporate America,” “political leadership,” and “police and law enforcement.” In each area, only about half of White people agree, with Republicans tending to say Black people have the right amount of influence and representation.

Representation is seen as less of an issue in popular culture, sports, and entertainment. About half the country, including four in 10 Black people, say there’s the right amount of Black influence and representation here.

We see similar divisions when it comes to representation on the Supreme Court. About nine in 10 Black people say it’s at least somewhat important that the Supreme Court reflect the diversity of the country as a whole. And for most, it’s very important. By contrast, it’s important to seven in 10 White people and very important to just four in 10.

On this issue and on Black representation more generally, White people divide along party lines. White Democrats tend to hold similar views to Black people — at times even slightly eclipsing their support for diversity — while White Republicans diverge substantially. For example, seven in 10 White Democrats say it’s very important for the Court to reflect the country’s diversity, while half of White Republicans say it’s not important.

This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,494 U.S. adult residents interviewed between February 15-18, 2022. Respondents were selected to be representative of adults nationwide with an oversample of African-American respondents included, and the final sample as reported was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to gender, age, race, and education based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as to 2020 presidential vote. The margin of error for the total sample is ±2.3 points. The margin of error for the sample of African Americans is ±5.0 points.

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Kabir Khanna

Kabir Khanna is Deputy Director, Elections & Data Analytics at CBS News. He conducts surveys, develops statistical models, and projects races at the network Decision Desk. His scholarly research centers on political behavior and methodology. He holds a PhD in political science from Princeton University.