Howard Initiative on Public Opinion

The Howard University Initiative on Public Opinion brings together the unique expertise and perspectives of scholars across disciplines to conduct national polls on important issues of relevance to African American and Latinx communities.

 

Voter with ballot

Every Opinion Counts 

The Howard University Initiative on Public Opinion (HU Polling Initiative) conducts national polls on issues relevant to historically vulnerable communities. We specialize in collecting data on African American and Latinx communities' attitudes, experiences, perceptions, and opinions. 

An interdisciplinary team of scholars, representing Afro-American Studies, Communication and Media Studies, Economics, English, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, and Sociology, provides our clients with a broad range of expertise in public opinion research.

Contemporary Public Opinion

The HU Polling Initiative contributes to the research mission of the University, providing a broad measure of contemporary public opinion and generating datasets for subsequent scholarly analysis. Graduate students are involved in the methodological design, data collection, and analysis of national polls and surveys. 

HIPO Polls Conducted 

African American Sickle Cell Poll

The African American Sickle Cell Poll sought to comprehend African American participants’ awareness of sickle cell disease (SCD), motivation to seek information about SCD, and perceptions of SCD clinical trials.

African American Sickle Cell Poll 

National Black Voter Poll

The National Black Voter Poll showed education, economy, and race relations shaped a strong preference for Hillary Clinton, among Black American voters, as their choice for President of the United States. 

National Black Voter Poll Report 

COVID-19 Survey Series

A series of surveys have been conducted examining COVID-19-related public and health impacts in African American and Hispanic/Latinx communities.

COVID-19 Study Findings 

Dr. Gary Harris
Dr. Gary L. Harris

History of HIPO

Under the leadership of then Associate Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, the late Gary L. Harris, Ph.D., a group of research faculty across disciplines convened at the annual retreat at Wintergreen, VA, to explore scholarly collaborations. The faculty of Disciplines in Dialogue observed that the diversity of the Black Diaspora is seldom reflected in national polls and surveys. Scholars from graduate programs in economics, political science, sociology and communication, culture, and media studies designed the Howard Initiative on Public Opinion (HIPO), to collect, analyze and report research findings on opinions of the Black Diaspora.

HU Polling Initiative Team

Dr. Dana Williams
Dana Williams, PhD, Dean of Graduate School, Professor of English
Dr. William Spriggs
William Spriggs, PhD, Professor of Economics
Dr. Jennifer Thomas
Jennifer Thomas, Associate Professor of Broadcast Journalism
Dr. Clarance Lusane
Clarance Lusane, PhD, Professor of Political Science
Dr. Jules Harrell
Jules Harrell, PhD, Professor of Psychology
Dr. Ron Hopson
Ronald Hopson, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology and Divinity
Dr. Greg Carr
Gregory Carr, PhD, Associate Professor of Africana Studies
Dr. Terry Adams
Terri Adams, PhD, Professor of Sociology and Associate Dean, Graduate School
Glenn Griffin
Glenn Griffin, IT Analyst

Contact information 

Terri Adams, Ph.D.
Director of HIPO & Associate Dean for the Office of External Affairs
Graduate School
Howard University

Tadams-fuller@howard.edu
(202) 806 -4670