Nearly half do not identify with any political party, and most opt out of national politics altogether.

Trust in the criminal justice and political systems is minimal, while local doctors and hospitals earn far greater trust.

Low turnout reflects distrust, alienation, and barriers—not indifference. Many residents frame disengagement as an act of moral judgment about unjust systems.

Residents overwhelmingly support healthcare, Medicaid, and social security protections, while rejecting local policing expansions such as “Cop City.”

Public opinions are more progressive at the local level, where policies directly shape daily life, compared with national issues shaped by partisan media narratives.

While conventional civics knowledge lags, residents demonstrate strong expertise in navigating courts, welfare, and survival politics—realities often ignored in mainstream surveys.

More than half of respondents expressed trust that CAP Lab’s survey would benefit their community—a striking result given the long history of institutional neglect and extractive research. 

The Atlanta survey has initiated CAP Lab's series of field surveys in America's invisible populations. We will continue to visit impoverished communities in different parts of the country, one place at a time.