(iPoster) Gender, Education, and Black Public Opinion: The Impact of Educational Attainment on Black Men’s and Women’s Evaluations of Kamala Harris’ Competence

• In Event: Poster Session: Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI) Scholars

Abstract

Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy garnered praise and criticism of her character and capabilities as a candidate. For Black voters, the gender gap we observe in the election day results, I argue, is in part a function of gendered evaluations. These evaluations, however, are contingent on the moderating force of education. Given the large and growing educational attainment gap between Black men and Black women, does the educational attainment level among Black men and women impact their assessments of Kamala Harris’ fitness as the Democratic candidate? Previous literature on Black public opinion and group consciousness offers only limited analysis of the intersections of race, gender, and education.

My research works to bridge this gap and enhance our understanding of group consciousness and Black public opinion in the wake of the 2024 election results. In this effort, I employ an ordered probit model using responses to the 2024 American National Election Studies (ANES) survey, which produced coefficient estimates for the conditional marginal effect of race on educational attainment for Black men and Black women’s appraisals of Kamala Harris’ knowledgeability, compassion, strength, honesty, and energy. For women, the study found the conditional marginal effect of race on education to be statistically insignificant across all outcomes of interest. For men, however, the study observed the conditional marginal effect of being Black on perceptions of Kamala Harris to be statistically significant, and Black men were more likely to agree that Harris is caring, honest, and a strong leader. Overall, education was not a significant moderating factor in influencing the opinions of Black men and women regarding Harris’ suitability. My findings suggest that race was more salient for Black men in evaluating Kamala Harris’ competence, but further research must be conducted to confirm whether this implies that Black men have a stronger attachment to this identity than Black women in the realm of public opinion.

Author

• Madison Spencer, The George Washington University