New My Code Research Finds Multicultural Voters Share the Nation's Pride, But Not Its Sense of Safety

Wave 15 of the Culture 360 Political Tracker finds Hispanic, Black and AANHPI eligible voters markedly more likely than non-multicultural voters to believe their own community faces greater risk of political violence, with six weeks remaining before Election Day

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- My Code today released Beyond the Vote: Why Midterm Persuasion Requires Cultural Relevance, the Wave 15 findings of its Culture 360 Political Tracker. Since 2022, My Code's Culture 360 Political Tracker has measured the attitudes, priorities, media behaviors, and political participation of U.S. eligible voters ages 18–64, with specific visibility into multicultural communities. Wave 15 completed field work in July 2026 among 3,219 eligible voters and examined the conditions shaping participation in the closing weeks of the midterm cycle.

The central finding concerns the gap between national pride and personal safety. Roughly three-quarters of eligible voters in every community say they are proud to be American, a range of just six points. Concern about political violence is similarly broad, at 53% of all eligible voters. What differs sharply is who believes the risk is directed at their own community: among eligible voters concerned about political violence, 60% of Hispanic, 52% of Black and 46% of AANHPI respondents say their community faces greater risk than others, compared with 38% of non-multicultural voters.

"Every community reports similarly high levels of pride in being American, but not every community believes it is equally safe," said Emil Hill, who leads My Code's political practice. "Patriotic and unity messaging is not automatically reassuring to people worried about their own safety. Campaigns only see that distinction when they examine the data community by community."

The report also finds that feeling understood may prompt consideration without creating trust. Among Black eligible voters, 48% say feeling understood would increase consideration while 42% say it would increase trust. Among non-multicultural voters, those figures are 60% and 56%.

"Being understood opens a door. It does not walk anyone through it," Hill said. "Particularly among Black eligible voters, empathy must be supported by evidence, specificity, and a record of following through."

Continuity with 2024 vote choice is also weakening among multicultural eligible voters. The share saying they would repeat their 2024 choice fell five points between waves, to 44%. That decline should not automatically be treated as openness to another candidate: 19% say they would not vote, 15% are unsure, and only 10% say they would vote differently.

Additional findings:

• Between 63% and 72% of every community prefers an immigration approach that includes legal pathways; enforcement alone is a minority position across communities.
• Thirty percent of Hispanic eligible voters know a close family member, friend or coworker impacted by current immigration policies, compared with 17% to 19% of other groups.
• Cost of goods leads household concerns overall at 39% and reaches 44% among AANHPI voters; housing represents greater pressure among Black and Hispanic voters, at 28% each.
• Between 52% and 67% of eligible voters across communities feel overwhelmed by the daily volume of political news.

With six weeks remaining before Election Day, the report points campaigns toward three practices: test messages community by community; connect broad themes such as patriotism and unity to voters' lived concerns; and treat uncertainty or potential nonparticipation as distinct from persuadability.

"Fifteen waves in, the lesson is that cultural relevance cannot be assumed from a topline," said Amani Duncan, Chief Executive Officer of My Code. "Campaigns that do not examine how risks and pressures land across different communities are guessing."

Methodology: Wave 15 was fielded in July 2026, closing July 8, through a 20-minute online survey of 3,219 U.S. citizens ages 18–64. Unweighted bases: Hispanic n=651, Black n=650, AANHPI n=628, non-multicultural n=1,243. Community risk figures are based on the 2,781 respondents expressing concern about political violence. Results were weighted; significance was tested at 95%. Wave 14 (Q1 2026, n=3,241) provides the wave-over-wave comparison. Full report, toplines, charts and additional crosstabs are available on request.

About My Code: My Code is a culture media and marketing platform that helps organizations understand cultural shifts, develop authentic storytelling, and reach the communities and platforms where influence begins. Its Intelligence Center combines quantitative research, qualitative community insight, cultural trend analysis, and performance measurement. My Code is majority-owned by Ariel Alternatives LLC's Project Black. Visit mycodemedia.com.

SOURCE My Code