Building Knowledge Through Research
The Indigenous Futures Survey (IFS) is a multi-year national research project to build knowledge around the perspectives, issues, and concerns of Native peoples. Since it began, IFS has conducted three surveys, which have received more than 16,500 responses in total, making it the largest study created by Native peoples, for Native peoples.
Developing Research-Informed Organizing Strategies
When organizing strategies are informed by data, organizers and community leaders are better able to address community needs and prioritize the activities and messaging that will yield the greatest impact.
IFS 3.0 found that environmental protections, the economy, and Tribal sovereignty and self-determination were among the top priorities for Native voters. These findings reaffirmed the importance of NOA’s work to protect sacred places, safeguard Tribal sovereignty, and support organizing efforts around c3 voter outreach and education.
Key Findings from IFS 3.0 (2023)
75%
look to the Native community for decision-making
60%
indicated that a candidate’s positions on priority issues influences how they vote*
81%
prioritize the importance of Indigenous languages
71%
felt confident in their Tribal government
47%
felt confident in the federal executive branch (President)
Top priorities:
- Environmental protection
- Tribal sovereignty
- Economy
*This finding represents responses from those in NOA’s 11 focus states during the 2024 election (AK, AZ, MI, MN, MT, NC, NM, NV, SD, WA, WI)
Informing Actions and Decision Making
Over the years, findings from IFS have been shared with partners, organizers, Tribal nations, and policy makers to support the development of research-informed strategies and decision making that reflect the priorities of our communities.
Our Partners
IFS 3.0 is a collaboration between Native Organizers Alliance and IllumiNative. In 2023, we partnered with Kauffman and Associates, a Native-led research team, to design and implement IFS 3.0. Previous iterations of IFS included partnerships with University of Michigan’s RISE, University of Washington, and the Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute.
Each partner contributes their unique expertise to every step of this groundbreaking research to lift up the voices of Native peoples and motivate change through research-informed strategies.
