34 percent of Black Americans say Biden’s policies have helped them: survey

Black Americans continue to be the core support of the Biden administration, according to a new Ipsos-Washington Post survey. 

The survey found that 66 percent of Black American respondents approve of the job President Biden has done, while 34 percent believe his policies have helped their demographic.

Biden made racial justice a major component of his 2020 campaign. On his first day in office, he signed an executive order meant to advance racial equity.

In October last year, the president pardoned everyone convicted of simple possession of marijuana under federal law. Black Americans are nearly four times more likely than white Americans to be arrested for marijuana possession, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. 

Biden also signed legislation this year to address the racial wealth gap.

The Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government order established plans to assess barriers facing underserved communities and offered solutions for access to policies and programs. It also required agencies to investigate and address any algorithmic discrimination in technology services.

The president also drew praise for his student loan forgiveness plan, which could forgive up to $20,000 in student loans for eligible students. Black adults are more likely to have higher rates of student loan debt than their white counterparts, in part due to issues with generational wealth. 

About 24 percent of Black adults have federal student loan debt, compared to only 14 percent of white adults, according to the CNBC + Acorns Invest in You Student Loan Survey. 

On average, Black college graduates owe $7,400 more than their white peers when they graduate, according to the Brookings Institution. Four years after graduation, Black borrowers owe an average of $52,726, compared to $28,006 for white college graduates. 

But Biden also made inroads with Black Americans during his State of the Union address, when he spoke of “the talk” so many Black families have with their children to avoid police brutality. This, coupled with his efforts to pass police reform, resonated with Black Americans on both political sides.

The survey results come after Biden’s reelection announcement in April and just days after Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced their own White House bids.

According to the survey, 9 percent of Black Americans would consider voting for former President Trump, while only 5 percent of Black voters would consider voting for DeSantis or Scott. Six percent said they would consider voting for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R).

The survey was conducted from April 28 to May 12 with 1,225 Black Americans responding and a “partially overlapping sample of 1,018 U.S. adults overall.” The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.