Greater Washington Community Foundation’s 2020 VoicesDMV Survey provides snapshot of life in the weeks immediately preceding the COVID-19 pandemic
A new survey of 1,600 households across DC, Maryland, and Virginia offers new insights about inequities and the impact of systemic racism on African American residents and people of color throughout the Greater Washington region.
The survey – conducted by Gallup in early 2020 as part of the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s VoicesDMV initiative – shows that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the region’s African American community was experiencing economic inequality and hardship, facing discrimination in their neighborhoods, and expressing deep concerns about the quality of education and health care available to their families.
Key findings on these inequities include:
Nearly one in 10 black residents (9%) felt discriminated against in interactions with the police in the past year compared with less than one in 100 white residents (0.7%).
During the past 12 months, six times the percentage of blacks relative to whites in the DMV said they experienced discrimination when trying to obtain housing and nearly four times the percentage of black residents compared to white residents reported facing discrimination when banking or applying for a loan.
Even before COVID-19 plunged our region into the worst recession of most of our lifetimes, more than one in three black residents reported that the overall economic conditions in the Greater Washington region were getting worse. By comparison, more than four in five white residents said the local economy was getting better or staying the same.
Thirty-five percent of black households reported that they did not have enough savings to survive for a month if they lost their current sources of income – a figure that is 2.5 times higher than their white neighbors.
Black residents were less than half as likely as white residents to rate the availability of arts and cultural opportunities, availability of good jobs, quality of public schools, or availability of healthcare as excellent in the place where they live.
“The VoicesDMV data offers a sobering look at the stark differences in quality of life for our African American neighbors. While we pride ourselves on being an inclusive community, this new research highlights just how far we have to go to address the deep inequities experienced by many residents and families. These disparities have only been heightened by the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, and laid bare through the community response to the tragic and senseless death of George Floyd,” said Tonia Wellons, president and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “One thing is for sure, our goal should not be to return to the status quo but to reconstruct what exists and build a stronger and more resilient community where racial justice is prioritized and everyone has equal opportunity to thrive.”
VoicesDMV is a community listening and civic engagement initiative, which launched in 2017, that seeks to better understand the diverse experiences of the people who live and work in the Greater Washington region. More than 1,600 residents from Washington, DC; Prince George's County, MD; Montgomery County, MD; and Northern Virginia participated in the survey. Additional highlights from the survey include:
Personal experiences with homelessness are widespread across the region. Nearly one in three residents know someone who has experienced homelessness or who is at risk of becoming homeless. Further, three-quarters of respondents agree that ending homelessness is a priority and more than half view housing as the solution, while almost two-thirds would even be willing to pay more in taxes to support additional affordable housing.
The impact of the 2019 government shutdown is still being felt. While fifteen percent of workers throughout the region were negatively affected by the 2019 government shutdown, more than half of those negatively affected were not government workers or contractors. Those who were negatively affected financially by the shutdown were nearly twice as likely to currently feel very worried or somewhat worried about not being able to pay their rent or mortgage.
Addressing Barriers to Quality Employment. Nearly a quarter of all workers (24 percent) and nearly half of the unemployed who are looking for work (49 percent) cited level of education as a barrier to finding and keeping a job. Across the region, two-thirds of all parents with children ages five or younger find it difficult or very difficult to pay for high-quality childcare for their family.
Many residents across the DMV region report inadequate access to benefits through their job – especially those in low-paying or essential positions. Of those making less than $22,000 a year, more than three-quarters are not offered health insurance through their job. Fewer than one-half of those with a high school diploma or less report having paid maternity/paternity leave.
The full report and an online dashboard with further demographic breakdowns of the VoicesDMV survey data is available now at www.VoicesDMV.org. Additional analysis – including overviews of survey data for the region as a whole and by local jurisdiction, will be available later this summer.
As part of the initiative, The Community Foundation will present a virtual town hall series beginning Friday, June 19, that will explore the most pressing challenges facing the region, and solutions for collectively building more equitable communities where everyone can thrive. The series will culminate in an opportunity for our entire region to come together for On the Table conversations to consider how these issues impact our families and communities. The Community Foundation will then fund Community Action Awards to help transform ideas sparked during these conversations into action – committing at least $100,000 for community organizing, action, and social justice projects that can be implemented individually or collectively.