Ethnic-Racial Identity, Racial Discrimination and Support for Black Lives Matter among Black American Youth

Abstract

The current study examines whether ethnic-racial identity and racial discrimination experiences predict strong support of the Black Lives Matter movement among a representative sample of Black American youth. The 2016 Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey (CMPS) examined attitudes about the 2016 United States election, immigration, policing, racial equality, and racial discrimination among Asian American, Black American, Latinx, and White adults. The current study used the Black American youth sample, which included 225 individuals (73 percent female) between 18 and 20 years of age. We conducted logistic regression analysis to assess the associations of ethnic-racial identity and racial discrimination experiences with strong support of Black Lives Matter. The results indicated that positive views of one’s ethnic-racial group and belief in anti-Black bias were associated with strong support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Yet, racial discrimination experiences were not associated with strong support for Black Lives Matter once ethnic-racial identity was accounted for.