How Judgments of Belonging Shape Young Black Americans’ Political Identities

• In Event: Intragroup Dynamics and Group Boundaries

Abstract

Young Americans, ages 18 to 35, constitute the largest generation since Baby Boomers. Yet, their political beliefs and ideas remain under investigated in political science. Furthermore, the political science literature on the role of citizenship and belonging rarely focuses on the experiences of non-immigrant families and individuals. To that end, we ask: how do judgments of social belonging and citizenship shape the political identities of young Black Americans? Moreover, what do their beliefs about identity mean for American politics? In this article, we argue that estimations of American citizenship and belonging are critical factors in the development of political identities among young Black Americans. Methodologically, we rely on regression modeling to unearth the causal relationship between identity and political behavior. We find that young Black Americans care deeply about traditional markers of American citizenship like birth rights, speaking the English language, and learning the customs and mores of American culture even more so than their non-Black peers. We also find that these judgments vary significantly by gender.

Authors

• Ana E. Jones, Syracuse University

• Jenn M. Jackson, Syracuse University