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Kiana Cox

Senior Researcher

Expertise:Race and Ethnicity, Religion and Public Life

Kiana Cox is a senior researcher on the Race and Ethnicity team at Pew Research Center. She leads our National Survey of Black Americans, which engages on questions of Black identity, politics, and economic mobility. She is also co-author of the Center’s groundbreaking study, “Faith Among Black Americans”. Prior to joining the Center in 2018, Kiana was an Assistant Professor of Sociology at SIU-Edwardsville where she taught courses on race, gender, Black history, social movements, statistics and research methodology. She earned her Ph.D. in sociology with a concentration in race and gender from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Publications

reportApr 14, 2022

Race Is Central to Identity for Black Americans and Affects How They Connect With Each Other

Many Black Americans say they learn about their ancestors and U.S. Black history from family.
short readsFeb 11, 2022

For Black Americans, family and friends are a primary source of information on U.S. Black history

About half of Black Americans (51%) say they are very or extremely informed about the history of Black people in the U.S.
short readsOct 19, 2021

Across religious groups, a majority of Black Americans say opposing racism is an essential part of their faith

75% of Black Americans say that opposing racism is essential to their faith or sense of morality, a view that extends across faith traditions.
short readsMar 17, 2021

Nine-in-ten Black ‘nones’ believe in God, but fewer pray or attend services

The vast majority of religiously unaffiliated Black Americans believe in God and about half pray regularly, although few attend services.
reportFeb 16, 2021

Faith Among Black Americans

Today, most Black adults say they rely on prayer to help make major decisions, and view opposing racism as essential to their religious faith.
reportOct 6, 2020

Amid National Reckoning, Americans Divided on Whether Increased Focus on Race Will Lead to Major Policy Change

More Black adults now say the country has work to do to address racial inequality; attitudes of White adults have changed little since 2019.
short readsJun 15, 2020

Before protests, black Americans said religious sermons should address race relations

Six-in-ten black adults say it is important for houses of worship to address “political topics such as immigration and race relations.”
short readsJul 11, 2019

Most U.S. adults feel what happens to their own racial or ethnic group affects them personally

Black Americans are the most likely to say that what happens to people from their racial group affects them personally.
reportApr 9, 2019

Race in America 2019

Most Americans (65%) – including majorities across racial and ethnic groups – say it has become more common for people to express racist or racially insensitive views since Trump was elected president.
short readsSep 26, 2018

Black men are less religious than black women, but more religious than white women and men

Research has shown that men in the United States are generally less religious than women. And while this pattern holds true among black Americans, black men are still a highly religious group.