The 2022 annual Survey of the South from E Pluribus Unum (EPU), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, revealed a growing openness by Southerners on issues like reparations for African Americans and accurate teaching about slavery and racism in schools.

Conducted in December 2022 by Allison+Partners, the survey included 1,800 participants (600 Black, Latino, and white respondents each) and tracked attitudes about race, class, and equity, as well as pertinent national issues and policies in the South.

Scott Hutcheson, executive director of E Pluribus Unum, noted:

It’s encouraging and long overdue to see Southerners’ growing acceptance towards discussing reparations to African Americans and ensuring schools provide accurate teachings on slavery and ongoing racism in the U.S.

Revealing results

This year's data showed a significant shift in sentiment in terms of the willingness of Southerners, including whites, to support reparations. Here are the most significant findings:

• 74% of Southerners believe the United States should offer African-Americans some form of reparation (preservation of Black sacred sites and monuments, educational grants and/or scholarships, investments in predominantly Black infrastructure, etc.) for the damage caused by slavery and other forms of racial discrimination
• 96% of those surveyed believe it is important for their community's education system to tell the most accurate story of slavery, violence, and discrimination against racial minorities in the United States. 40% of respondents consider it extremely important to them
• 46% of Southerners think that race relations in the United States today are worse than five years ago, while nearly a third feel there has been no progress (32%)
• 38% of respondents think that members of their local community would treat them poorly if they chose to express beliefs different from their own
• 47% feel that people like them are being left behind in the United States
• White respondents are significantly more likely to trust the police than Blacks and Hispanics (68% compared to 35% and 48%, respectively)
• Politicians and elected officials are the most distrusted sources of information, at 51%. They are followed by social media influencers at 44% and celebrities at 35%
• On the contrary, family is the most reliable source of information, with 77%, followed by friends and doctors with 73%

“The results of this survey help inform the ongoing work of EPU, as we continue to identify ways to engage Southerners on advancing equity across the region through leadership acceleration, transformative policy, and narrative change. Continued education and open dialogue at the community level will be critical,” added Hutcheson.

This week we're watching @The1619Project, a docu-series about a #NYTimes initiative that views the fundamental contributions of Black people through the lens of democracy, race, music, capitalism, fear, and justice.

Share your review below #1619Project #nikolehannahjones pic.twitter.com/62hEDIkvB6

— E Pluribus Unum (@unumfund) February 9, 2023

What to know about the survey

This is the sixth survey in a series of deep-dives conducted by EPU focused on the American South, the first of which was published in 2019.

They surveyed 1,800 consumers age 18 and older who live in the South, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

The racial background of the respondents was evenly split between those who identify as Black, Hispanic, and White, with 600 respondents belonging to each. The survey was conducted using the Qualtrics Insight Platform and the panel was obtained from RepData. Fielding, and was executed in December 2022.

Click here to view the survey.