The Knowledge Within: Conceptualizing African American Political Knowledge

• In Event: Lightning Round: Research in Five: Graduate Students III

Abstract

Research states that political knowledge is the currency that citizens used to "buy" into activities that best represent their interests, and not having this currency can hinder citizens' ability to recognize their interests or the parties, candidates, and policies that best represent them (Delli Carpini and Keeter 1996; Somin 2004). In the African American community, being politically knowledgeable is an intricate process that surpasses knowing the information necessary to buy into activities that are representative of one's interests. For African Americans, acquiring political knowledge is a non-negotiable task that allows us to navigate and survive in our American democracy. This project contends that the current conceptualization and measurement of political knowledge does not examine knowledge relevant to the African American political experience. Thus, producing results that show African Americans have lower levels of political knowledge. Therefore, there is a need to re-assess whether African Americans have lower political knowledge levels than Whites. This study asks: Does the exclusion of domain-specific knowledge, particularly race-specific knowledge, exacerbate the racial gap in political knowledge between Blacks and Whites? To answer this question, I use a mixed-method approach to help me conceptualize and measure African American political knowledge. This work will allow me to contribute to the available knowledge items for political knowledge surveys and studies. Diversifying the political knowledge survey battery will help scholars understand whether there should be different political knowledge surveys for particular groups or if political knowledge surveys should include general and domain-specific knowledge questions (Dolan 2011; Perez 2015).

Author

• Jasmine Jackson, Purdue University