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.

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

The Howard University Initiative on Public Opinion conducted a poll on the opinions of Black voters in the US. The report includes analysis by key demographic indicators of Black Americans, including gender, political party, and religion. Analysis by demographics show that despite the Black vote being described as a monolith, that Black Americans have a variety of attitudes and opinions that affect their voting behavior.

2024 Black Voters’ Poll →

Super Tuesday is a critical moment during the presidential cycle. The Howard University Initiative on Public Opinion analyzed the opinions of Black voters in key Super Tuesday states. The poll results show most Black voters plan to vote along party lines, with well over 50% of the sample supporting Biden (59%) and 14% supporting Trump. The data also reveal a greater percentage of voters in the Mid-Atlantic and South support Biden than in the West, and Black women show stronger support for Biden than their male counterparts.

Super Tuesday Black Voters' Poll Report →

As a key swing state with the support of Black voters, Michigan helped win President Biden the election in 2020. The Howard University Initiative on Public Opinion conducted a recent poll on the opinions of Black voters in Michigan in relation to the 2024 presidential primary. Poll results suggested that while President Biden is still favored among Democrats, his overwhelming support from Black voters is not as strong as it was in 2020.

Michigan Black Voter Poll →

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 →

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.