About the Survey

The GenForward survey is a project of Professor Cathy J. Cohen at the University of Chicago. Interviews were conducted with a representative sample recruited and administered by NORC at the University of Chicago. The toplines for this survey include survey findings, questions, responses, demographics, and the complete study methodology.

The March 2023 survey was a partnership with the Movement For Black Lives (M4BL). It was conducted with a representative sample of Black American adults, with regional and young adult oversamples.

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Report Executive Summary

This report aims to showcase the breadth of perspectives of Black people on the issues of policing and public safety in the United States across geographic regions, ages, gender, and political affiliation. The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) and GenForward1 collaborated to develop a comprehensive survey measuring Black people’s experiences with policing and incarceration, and their feelings about alternatives to these systems. NORC at the University of Chicago administered this survey to a nationally representative sample of Black people across the United States. The results highlight an alarming reality: Police are often feared by Black communities in crisis and emergency situations, and a large majority of respondents report that they or someone they know have had negative interactions with the police. The data underscore that these fears are not unfounded, as more than three-quarters of the respondents perceive police killings of Black people as a broader systemic issue. Nevertheless, a majority of Black Americans also say they would turn to the police for help, perhaps because of a lack of concrete alternatives. Throughout our findings, Black people in the U.S. consistently expressed a lack of trust and confidence in police. Black Americans also support comprehensive reforms and new initiatives meant to enhance public safety.

Our study found that support for transforming policing and incarceration is strongest when alternatives are specified. We found low support overall when asking about defunding or abolishing the police, with young adults expressing more support and older adults expressing less support. However, when we explicitly asked about alternative, non-policing solutions to public safety, we found consistently large majorities of Black people in support—even when we paired such alternatives with divestment from policing.

Close to 55% of Black people in the U.S. support (25% “strongly”, 30% “somewhat”) divesting from police departments and putting their entire budget toward investments in other areas, such as health care, education, and housing. Two-thirds of Black people express support (31% “strongly”, 36% “somewhat”) for reallocating part of police budgets toward such investments.

Our data suggest there is broad backing for alternatives to traditional policing, and the way these alternatives are presented can significantly influence the level of support the receive. For example, we found that 86% of Black people support creating a new agency of first responders who specialize in de-escalating violence and providing mental-health support and other social services that would take over these responsibilities from police. Similarly, 78% support a process whereby city officials promote public safety by investing in solutions that do not rely on incarceration.

When we asked about significant reforms in policing and mass incarceration, and investments in community-based social infrastructure, we found supermajority support for divesting from police departments and investing in social services. For example, 88% of respondents support hiring mental-health professionals as first responders to de-escalate mental-health crises.

Moreover, 82% of respondents support increased federal funding for states to develop crisis-response systems that do not rely on incarceration. In addition, 80% support the closing of jails, prisons, or detention facilities that are notorious for human-rights violations. Notably, we found more consistent and larger differences in views about policing reforms across age groups rather than across political parties.

Overall, the data support the urgent need for a radical shift away from our existing carceral systems—policing, jails, and prisons—with a strong call for investments in police alternatives that emphasize preventive measures and mental-health resources. This is not just about reducing harm but proactively building safer and healthier communities.

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