4. Black Americans and racial conspiracy theories about economics and business

Social scientists have long debated the causes of economic inequality among Black Americans. The conversation among Black people reached a notable inflection point in 2004, when comedian Bill Cosby linked persistent poverty in some Black families with the purchase of luxury items. There is some evidence that poverty and expensive purchases are related in complex ways for Black people – namely, that race and residential segregation impact how people signal wealth. However, this broad conversation about the causes of persistent economic inequality provides some context for Black adults’ beliefs in racial conspiracy theories about the economic system. Black Americans believe the economic system was designed to hold them back What is a ‘racial conspiracy theory’? In this report, the phrase “racial conspiracy theories” refers to the suspicions that Black adults might have about the actions of U.S. institutions based on their personal and collective historical experiences with racial discrimination. About two-thirds of Black Americans (65%) say the U.S. economic system was designed to hold Black people back, either a great deal (39%) or fair amount (26%). Roughly a quarter (23%) say it was designed to hold Black people back somewhat, and 11% say it was not designed to hold Black...