Enacting the bold and swift change necessary to ensure our country’s democracy begins with understanding the severity of America’s ideological discord. PolicyLink’s Race & Equity in America: Annual Attitudinal Research was created to better understand where communities stand on some of the country’s most pressing challenges, so that we can work together to create a true multiracial democracy. 

At a time when we are told at every turn that our society is deeply divided, this year’s research shows we have one big thing in common: we all want a safe, stable place for our communities to live, and most of us want the government to take meaningful action to guarantee homes for everyone. The new data shows that these issues unite voters across demographics and political affiliation––and, that most voting groups support diverting some public funds from policing and prisons to solve the affordable housing crisis. 

The surveys, conducted by Lake Research Partners, reached a total of 1,000 eligible voters across the country, including oversamples of 150 Black, 150 Latinx, 200 Asian/Pacific Islander, and 100 Native American eligible voters. To gather qualitative insight, HIT Strategies also conducted seven focus groups following polling.

Further findings of this year’s research include: 

• Americans overwhelmingly agree that homelessness and housing instability takes a toll on families leading to poor health outcomes.
• Blame for the housing crisis is spread out to all levels of government and the private sector. 
• On the topic of policing, Americans would love to see greater investment in programs that address the root causes of poverty and violence.

This is the fourth in a series of applied research agendas, composed of four components, that when taken as a group, form a blueprint for generating and translating knowledge about arts, culture, and equitable development in 2020. The goal of the series is to encourage the examination of these various issues and see that the importance of arts and culture strategies is recognized by potential researchers and those who can use that research. This agenda explores the impact of immigrant food agents in low-income communities of color and identifies their unique characteristics, challenges, and strengths, which may not be currently served by existing healthy food access and food system programs.

Applied Research Agenda series:

1. The Impact of Arts and Culture on Relocation Assistance Programs
2. The Impact of Arts and Culture Strategies on Streetscape Design and Mobility Projects
3. Equitable Business Improvement Districts as a Creative Placemaking Model
4. Immigrant Food Systems and Redefining “Healthy” and “Local” Food