Alienated or Engaged? Social Movement Interaction & Black Political Alienation

• In Event: Responses to the Trump Administration

Abstract

Political allegiance has been shown to influence how much people trust and have confidence in their government as well as their political behavior and attitudes. However, little has been done to examine the intersection of this concept with race. With African American voters acting as key constituents electing Obama in 2008 and 2012, this paper examines the intersection of political allegiance and race after Obama’s departure. President Trump is far cry from the progressive and descriptive representation of Obama, yet how this relationship influences political participation as well as attitudes about individual civil liberties and equality in America. Is Trump alienating blacks from politics in ways that suggest enduring detachment and disillusion? Using data from the 2017 Black Voter Pilot Study (BVP), the role that attitudes toward Trump hold in understanding black political allegiance and trust are explored. Then, the mediating effect of Trump on political allegiance and trust is modeled in order to predict various forms of political engagement. Findings suggest that blacks wary of Trump not only are less trustful of government, but are also more likely to feel alienated from the American political system as a whole. Furthermore, Trump also mediates the power of political allegiance and trust on black political engagement. While anger toward Trump might be enough to mobilize blacks who lack political trust, those who feel disconnected from the American political system because of Trump are unable to overcome their sense of detachment.

Author

• Christopher C. Towler, Sacramento State University