Race-Class Narrative National Dial Survey Report

"The values of equality, fairness, and unity emerge as key values that people would use as a message on a sign in an event for people coming together."

This survey report emerged from a multi-phase project to build an effective new narrative on race, class, and democracy in the United States (US). Conducted by Ian Haney López (author of Dog Whistle Politics), Anat Shenker-Osorio (ASO Communications), and the public policy organisation Demos, this project has been exploring the question of how to engage simultaneously around race and class in ways that strengthen social solidarity, reduce division and scapegoating, and create a viable foundation for progressive policy victories. The collaborators have crafted, empirically validated, and field-tested a range of narratives and compared these to existing frames. (Beyond the national work profiled here, they also conducted analytic, qualitative, and quantitative research in the US states of California, Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio. Visit Anat Shenker-Osorio's website for access to additional documents from that research.)

Lake Research Partners, in collaboration with ASO Communications and Brilliant Corners Research and Strategy, designed and implemented this survey in March 2018. Narratives were tested online with 1,500 adults plus oversamples of 100 African Americans, 100 Latinos, 100 millennials, 100 drop-off voters, and 100 unlikely voters. Lines show moment-to-moment reactions to an audio recording by the categories of base, opposition, persuadables, and advocates. (These categories were created with a statistical cluster analysis that groups people by the patterns of their attitudes.) People dialed positively (above 50) when they had a favourable reaction to the words, and negatively (below 50) for an unfavourable reaction. The number in parentheses shown within the survey report represents the mean dial rating for that passage; words in bold were especially effective.

Some of the key findings include:

• There are 3 key dimensions that shape the base and opposition. First, base adults say that there is too little attention paid to race and racial issues in America today, while opposition adults say there is too much attention. Overall, Americans divide nearly evenly on this, and persuadables are slightly more likely to say that too much attention is paid. However, both base and persuadables by strong majorities agree that focusing on and talking about race is necessary to move forward toward greater equality, a position that opposition adults reject.
• Base adults want government to create opportunities for advancement, while opposition adults want government to get out of their way. Persuadables are more divided, though favour government creating more opportunities for advancement by 15 points.
• Base adults believe that wealthy Americans achieved success because they were given more opportunities than others, while opposition adults say it is because they worked harder than others. Persuadables tend to agree with base adults, that the wealthy were given more opportunities than others.
• Both base adults and persuadables retain a sense that if we really committed to it, we could ensure that all people are treated fairly and equally, no matter their race, religion, or country of origin. However, aspirational messages are key, as is a call to action. Focus groups stressed that cynicism can be as a great an enemy as opposition.
• Base and persuadables strongly favour a policy agenda rooted in equality: ending discrimination against people of colour in jobs, housing, and education; expanding Medicare to ensure healthcare for all Americans; overhauling the criminal justice system to eliminate racial and other biases; and creating a fair immigration process that keeps families together and includes a roadmap to citizenship for current immigrants.

One of the primary goals of this research was to develop ways at countering messaging appeals grounded in divide-and-conquer tactics. Qualitative research underscored the challenge of doing so, as merely highlighting the divisive tactics of others came across as divisive itself. However, there are several takeaways from this research that might help.

1. It helps to evoke race when articulating an agenda to make life better for working people. For example, "put the interests of working people first, whether white, Black, and brown". Doing so resonates more strongly with persuadables than simply articulating a positive agenda. It also alienates opposition adults, and thus better differentiates this positive agenda.
2. Calling out divide-and-conquer tactics is more effective when they are being used to appeal to fears based on terrorism, but less so when being used to suggest there are people expecting things to be handed to them.
3. It helps to connect divide-and-conquer tactics to what divisions produce.
4. Calling out intentional divisions and outcomes is not enough by itself. A positive call to action that recognises "we are stronger when we work together" is more effective with base adults and persuadables than focusing solely on the politics of division.

Recommendations for messaging are provided, such as: Don't dwell on problems. Provide a positive call to action around unity and change, using strong language: "Stand up for each other and come together. Come together to elect new leaders."

Editor's note: Click here to read an August 22 2018 article by Ian Haney López and Anat Shenker-Osorio published in The Washington Post about this research project.