Everyday Discrimination Experienced by Conservative Christians at the Secular University

Abstract

Two studies explore everyday discrimination experienced by conservative Christians in a secular university setting. In Study 1, 42 conservative Christian students documented 87 Anti‐Christian incidents in one week of diaries. Incident frequency and type (e.g., Stereotyping, Hostility, and Interaction Difficulties) paralleled past research of more traditionally studied target groups (e.g., Hyers, 2007a ; Swim, Hyers, & Cohen, 1998 ). Unique patterns emerged as well (e.g., Overt Derogation and Belief Conflicts). In Study 2, a general sample of university students rated their sympathy for Anti‐Christian, Sexist, and Anti‐Black Racist incidents. Students had less sympathy for Anti‐Christian incidents than for Anti‐Black Racism and Sexism, though Christian students were more sympathetic to all types of prejudice. For Anti‐Christian incidents, sympathy was highest for antagonistic types (e.g., Hostility and Teasing), moderate for Derogation, Belief Conflicts, and Stereotyping, and lowest for Interaction Difficulties. Implications for conceptions of everyday discrimination, diversity, and higher education are discussed.