Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies

The survey draws from a robust and diverse national sample that includes thousands of respondents from Black, Latine, Asian American, and White communities. To ensure nuanced and representative insights, the survey also includes oversamples of populations that are often underrepresented in large-scale research, including Indigenous, Afro-Latine, Middle Eastern, North African, LGBTQ+, and immigrant communities. This inclusive sampling approach allows for deeper analysis across intersecting identities and experiences, capturing the full spectrum of America’s racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity and their political viewpoints.

Surveys are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Arabic, Urdu, Farsi, Haitian Creole, and additional languages to ensure accessibility and cultural relevance for respondents across diverse communities. By offering multilingual participation, the CMPS captures a more accurate and representative understanding of political attitudes, behaviors, and experiences among America’s multiracial and multiethnic electorate –amplifying voices that are often undercounted or overlooked in traditional surveys.

The CMPS operates through a cooperative funding model that democratizes data collection and analysis. This structure invites participation from a broad community of scholars, allowing researchers from universities, think tanks, and community-based institutions to contribute survey questions and access shared datasets. By pooling resources and expertise, the CMPS fosters a truly collaborative research environment – one that expands intellectual diversity, enhances methodological innovation, and ensures that the study reflects the priorities and perspectives of a wide range of scholars committed to understanding race, representation, and democracy.

The CMPS provides mentorship, workshops, and data access opportunities designed to build research capacity among emerging scholars, particularly those from historically underrepresented institutions. Through hands-on training, methodological guidance, and collaborative learning, participants gain the skills and networks needed to design rigorous studies, analyze complex datasets, and contribute original scholarship on race, politics, and representation. This commitment to mentorship not only strengthens individual research trajectories but also broadens the pipeline of scholars with diverse perspectives advancing the study of democracy in the United States.