Read the Technical Appendix and review the Survey Instrument

Technical Appendix

WIB At The Table Report Technical Appendix 

Methodology 

Overview

The data in this report come from an online survey conducted by Word In Black’s (WIB) Insights & Research Division of Black news readers across the U.S. Fielding took place between April 22 to June 8, 2026. The aim of this study was to better understand Black community views on food and its connection to health and wellbeing.

Questionnaire Development and Survey Testing

The survey questionnaire was developed by WIB researchers after conducting a literature review. The survey was tested on both PCs and mobile devices by the WIB research team and a team of WIB publishers and editorial assistants.

Sample Size and Oversampling 

Prior to survey recruitment, a power analysis was performed and indicated that a total sample of 1000 would be sufficient to detect small-to-moderate differences at α = .05 with 80% power. To ensure balanced quotas across six age groups and four U.S. regions and to allow stable subgroup estimates (±6% margin of error), the target was increased to N = 1,222 (Table 1). To account for exclusions, we aimed to recruit 1,300 participants.

Table 1. Quota – Age x Region Balanced Sample

18–24 (+20%)25–34 (+20%)35–44 (+20%)45–54 (+20%)55–64 (+25%)65+ (+25%)Regional Total 
South606060606363366
Northeast505050505353306
Midwest505050505353306
West404040404242244
Age (Total)2002002002002112111,222

Sample Recruitment

Survey respondents were recruited via 10 publisher partner networks nationwide, affiliated with Word in Black, across all four key U.S. regions (Table 2). Participating publishers received a detailed marketing kit with banner ads, newsletter templates, social media posts, and sample editorial copy to promote the survey. Each outlet was asked to run a 5-week campaign across their digital platforms, newsletters, and social channels to drive reader participation.

The target population for this survey included individuals who were 18 or older, located in the U.S., and identified as Black/African American, or multiracial, including Black. 

Table 2. Word In Black Publisher Distribution

RegionPublication City
NortheastNew York, NY
SouthBaltimore, MD.; D.C.; Houston, TX; Atlanta, GA
West Seattle, WA; Sacramento, CA
MidwestDetroit, MA; St. Louis, MO; Chicago, IL

Procedure

Prior to beginning the survey, participants provided basic demographic information to determine their eligibility. If they were eligible, they then provided informed consent, and completed the remainder of the questionnaire. 

The survey instrument consisted of measures assessing food sentiment (knowledge, behaviors, perceptions, beliefs) around food/ food safety in the U.S., the relationship between food, health & wellbeing, and an assessment of self-perceived food literacy & strategies. 

Surveys could be completed on participants’ personal computers or mobile devices (see full survey instrument for all items). The survey was untimed so participants could take as long as they needed to complete the survey.

Results

Descriptive Statistics

Participants

After removing pilot responses, a sample of 3,191 participants – recruited through WIB online readership, our 10 publisher partner networks, and through the online panel recruitment tool Prolific – completed the survey. The final sample consisted of 1,249 participants. 1,727 responses were dropped from the final data set for failing to consent. The high number of non-consents reflects non qualified respondents who were screened out on Prolific and Qualtrics because their demographic quota had already been filled, yet were still included in the total recruited sample.

The data were then examined and 2 additional respondents were dropped for straightlining and for nonsensical responses in the free response field. The remaining 69 participants were dropped from the sample for having a Recaptcha score of .5 or greater, if they were duplicate respondents, if they failed the attention check and left the free response question blank, if they took less than 1 minute to complete the survey, did not reside in the U.S. or those who selected ‘other’ and self-described their race as something other than Black or African American, or Multiracial, including Black or African American, for race. 

Table 3. Drop Protocol Summary

StepRemovedRemaining
Starting total—3,191
Dropped non-consents & blanks1,7271,464
Dropped <70% completion1441,320
Dropped <60s duration11,319
Dropped 2 bad actors21,317
Dropped duplicates01,317
Dropped ReCaptcha < 0.3321,285
Dropped failed attn check + blank free response141,271
Dropped out-of-scope race171,254
Dropped 5 non U.S. residents51,249

The majority of participants were 55 and older (n = 557 ) and from the southern region of the U.S. (n = 419); n = 397 had obtained a postgraduate or professional degree (e.g., master’s, PhD, JD, MD) and n = 373 had a household income of $100,000 to $149,000 (see Table 4 for full demographic breakdown).

Table 4. Sample Demographics (unweighted n, weighted %)

VariableCategorynCore weighted %
RaceBlack or African American1,14793.5
Multiracial, including Black or African American1026.5
Age (Collapsed)18–3434435.5
35–5434032.9
55+55731.6
IncomeLess than $35,00016513.7
$35,000 to $74,99934927.6
$75,000 to $99,99922418.5
$100,000 or more37331.6
Prefer not to say1308.6
EducationLess than high school50.4
High School Diploma or GED12312.8
Some college or Associate’s Degree30023.8
Bachelor’s Degree38931.2
Graduate or Professional Degree (e.g., JD, MD, PhD)39729.6
Prefer not to say282.2
RegionSouth41957.9
West2249.9
Midwest27818.2
Northeast32714

Note: Unweighted counts are shown for transparency. Percentages are weighted to align the sample with U.S. population benchmarks for Black adults by age and Census region.

Analyses

Weighting

Post-stratification weights were applied to align the sample with U.S. Census benchmarks for Black adults by collapsed age categories (18–34, 35–54, 55+) and U.S. Census region. Unweighted counts are presented for descriptive purposes; percentages and all analytic estimates are based on weighted data.

Weighted descriptive cross-tabulation was used to compare responses to diet health and overall health grade. Weighted chi-square test of independence to assess whether fast food frequency differed by age group. Only statistically significant patterns (p < .05) or substantively meaningful ones were highlighted in this report.

We used an AI-assisted approach to analyze open-ended responses. ChatGPT, a large language model, identified initial themes across participants’ comments, and the researcher reviewed and refined these themes to ensure accuracy before finalizing the results.

Strengths, Limitations, and Recommendations for Future Research 

This survey provides valuable insight into how Black Americans think about food, health, wellbeing, food access, and food-purchasing decisions. Drawing on responses from participants across the United States, the study captures a broad range of topics, including perceptions of food safety, beliefs about the relationship between food and diet-related disease, access to desired foods, fast food consumption, self-rated health, diet quality, food literacy, and interactions with healthcare providers about diet and eating habits.

Several strengths enhance the contribution of this study. The final sample included respondents from all U.S. Census regions and across multiple age groups, allowing for meaningful comparisons by region, age, income, education, and gender. Results were weighted using the project’s recommended weighted core variable, which was designed to better align the sample with the demographic distribution of Black adults in the United States by race, age, gender/sex, and region. This strengthens the relevance of the findings across key demographic groups while preserving a stable weighting approach for reporting.

Another strength is the survey’s breadth. Rather than focusing only on diet or nutrition knowledge, the study connects food choices to broader issues such as affordability, cultural food traditions, emotional and mental wellbeing, perceived food safety, grocery shopping behaviors, and healthcare provider communication. The inclusion of open-ended responses about how people respond to rising grocery prices also adds context to the quantitative findings and helps identify practical tradeoffs respondents are making in everyday life.

At the same time, findings should be interpreted in light of important limitations. The survey reflects the perspectives of Black adults who are connected to Word In Black publisher networks, online recruitment channels, and related outreach efforts, and who elected to participate. As a result, the sample should not be interpreted as a fully nationally representative probability sample of all Black adults in the United States.

Although weighting improves alignment with the broader Black adult population on selected demographic characteristics, not all characteristics were included in the weighting process. In particular, income was not used as a weighting benchmark, and the project notes indicate that the education-raked alternative weight was not recommended for reporting because it produced an unstable maximum weight due to the very small number of respondents with less than a high school education. Therefore, findings related to income, education, food affordability, and access should be interpreted as informative and directionally meaningful rather than fully representative across all socioeconomic groups.

The survey is also cross-sectional and based on self-reported data. This means the findings can identify associations — such as the relationship between diet grades and self-rated health, or differences in fast food consumption by age group — but cannot establish causality. Respondents’ answers may also be influenced by recall, personal interpretation of survey questions, or social desirability, particularly for topics such as diet quality, fast food consumption, and health behaviors.

Because of these limitations, the results should be understood as a strong snapshot of attitudes, experiences, and self-reported behaviors among surveyed Black adults, rather than as definitive estimates for the entire U.S. Black population. Future research could build on this work by expanding recruitment strategies to better reach Black adults with lower incomes, lower educational attainment, limited internet access, or reduced connection to health and food information networks. Repeated survey efforts over time could also help track changes in food access, food safety concerns, diet quality, and food-related health behaviors as economic and policy conditions change.

Survey Instrument

Demographics

1. How old are you?*
Question Type: Multiple Choice — Single Select

  • Under 18 (screen out)
  • 18–24
  • 25–39
  • 40–49
  • 50–59
  • 60 or older

2. What is your race? * (Select the option that best describes you.)
Question Type: Multiple Choice (Single-select)

  • Black or African American
  • White or Caucasian (screen out)
  • Asian (screen out)
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (screen out)
  • Indigenous / Native American or Alaska Native (screen out)
  • Multiracial, including Black or African American
  • Multiracial, not including Black or African American (screen out)
  • Another race (please specify): ___________ 
  • Prefer not to say (screen out)

3. What is your gender?*
Question Type: Multiple Choice — Single-Select

  • Woman
  • Man
  • Prefer to self-describe: __________
  • Prefer not to say 

4. In which state do you currently reside? 
*Dropdown list of all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico

Screening logic: If they don’t select Black or African American or Multiracial, including Black or African American, write in 18+ → [Add “Go to section: Disqualification message”]

Section: Disqualification Message

Thank you for your interest. This survey is currently focused on the experiences of Black Americans ages 18 and older. We appreciate your willingness to participate.

Section 1: 

Food sentiment (knowledge, behaviors, perceptions, beliefs) around food/ food safety in US

1. Which of the following best describes how you think about the food you grew up eating? (Select one)

  • I still eat mostly the same foods I grew up with
  • I have moved away from the foods I grew up with for health reasons
  • I try to balance traditional foods with healthier choices
  • I never had a strong connection to a particular food tradition
  • Other (please specify)

2. When I think about current food safety in the U.S., I feel… (Very insecure to very secure)

3. Please rate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements:
Strongly Agree  • Agree   • Neither Agree nor Disagree   • Disagree   • Strongly Disagree  

  • I believe that the types of food widely available in the U.S. contribute to diet-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
  • I have easy access to the types of food I want to eat
  • Select strongly agree for this item
  • What you eat affects your mental and emotional wellbeing

4. What is the most important factor when choosing where you shop for food? (Select 1) Places that…

  • offer culturally relevant food
  • offer healthy food
  • offer reasonably priced food
  • conveniently located 
  • allow me to experience new foods
  • offer food that tastes good

5. In a typical week, how often do you eat meals prepared outside of your home — including fast food, takeout, or restaurants?

Never

  • 1-2 times a week
  • 3-4 times a week
  • 5-6 times a week
  • Everyday or almost everyday

6. When grocery prices go up, how do your food shopping or consumption behaviors change? (Open ended) _____

Section 2: 

Food, Health & Wellbeing

1. In general, would you say your health is… 

  • Excellent
  • Very good 
  • Good
  • Fair
  • Poor

2. Overall, how would you grade your diet in terms of healthfulness? 

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D

Section 3:

Food Literacy & Strategies

1. Which of the following best describes your familiarity with the 2025 “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” (US government-approved food and nutrition guidelines)? 

  • I know a lot about them
  • I know a fair amount about them
  • I have heard of them but I know very little about them
  • I have never heard of them 

2. Thinking about what you know about food and how to eat — where did that knowledge originally come from? Select up to 3.

  • How I was raised and what my family cooked at home
  • My faith or religious community
  • School (e.g., home economics, health class, nutrition education)
  • A doctor, nutritionist, or healthcare provider
  • My own personal research and experimentation as an adult

3. What would make it easier for you to eat more healthily? Select up to 3.

  • Lower prices on fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole foods
  • More grocery stores or fresh food markets in my neighborhood
  • Subsidies or discounts for healthy food purchases (e.g., SNAP incentives, EBT)
  • Easy access to healthy recipes that reflect my cultural food traditions
  • More education about food and nutrition
  • Other (please specify)

4. Has a doctor, nutritionist, or other healthcare provider ever spoken to you about your diet or eating habits?

  • Yes, regularly
  • Yes, once or a few times
  • No, but I wish they would
  • No, and I haven’t needed it

Demographics Part 2

1. Which of the following best describes your total annual household income before taxes? (Select one)
Question Type: Multiple Choice — Single-Select

  • Less than $35,000
  • $35,000 to $74,999
  • $75,000 to $99,999
  • $100,000 or more
  • Prefer not to say

2. What is the highest level of education you have completed? (Select one)
Question Type: Multiple Choice — Single-Select

  • Less than high school
  • High school or GED
  • Some college or associate degree
  • Bachelor’s degree
  • Graduate or professional degree
  • Prefer not to say

3.  Which best describes the type of area where you live?
 (Select one)

  • Urban area (for example, a large city or downtown area)
  • Suburban area (for example, a residential area near a city)
  • Rural area (for example, a small town or countryside)
  • Other (please specify): __________