How Did the Black Lives Matter Movement Impact the 2020 Election?
by Julie Solane, University of Pennsylvania, March 2nd 2022
Abstract: It was a turbulent run-up to the 2020 U.S. Presidential election: COVID-19 struck, ending and upending lives and livelihoods, while the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and other Black Americans led to Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests nationwide.
There has been much conjecture around the effect these momentous events had on the 2020 election, but a new study from the University of Pennsylvania offers the first evidence that the Black Lives Matter movement encouraged swing voters more toward Biden than toward Trump. During the election, many pundits voiced concerns that the BLM protests would drive swing voters toward Trump, given his campaign’s “law and order” emphasis, and the lack of widespread support for defunding the police. Instead, increased awareness of discrimination against Black Americans encouraged support for the Democratic candidate.
Read more here.
Recent Comments