Most Black Americans Believe U.S. Institutions Were Designed To Hold Black People Back

Editorial note to readers A version of this study was originally published on June 10. We previously used the term “racial conspiracy theories” as an editorial shorthand to describe a complex and mixed set of findings. By using these words, our reporting distorted rather than clarified the point of the study. Changes to this version include: an updated headline, new “explainer” paragraphs, some additional context and direct quotes from focus group participants. Claudia Deane, Mark Hugo Lopez and Neha Sahgal contributed to the revision of this report. (Illustration by JDawnInk via Getty Images) How we did this Pew Research Center conducted this study to explore how Black Americans think about the factors that contribute to or hinder their success in the United States. An early 2024 report explored the success factors, and this current report focuses on the hindrances. Based on their real personal and collective historical experiences with racial discrimination, Black Americans might be suspicious of the actions of U.S. institutions. These suspicions often circulate in Black spaces as ideas about the intentional or negligent harm that hinders Black people from thriving. For this report, Black adults were asked in a survey how familiar they are with these ideas....