Racial Prejudice and Attitudes Toward Affirmative Action

TLDR

The study investigates whether blatant racial prejudice predicts white anger toward affirmative action, testing whether prejudice persists, resistance extends beyond prejudice, and whether resistance is malleable. The authors analyze data from experiments embedded in a national survey of racial attitudes, using unobtrusive measures to assess prejudice. Results show that while racial prejudice remains widespread, it does not fully account for white anger toward affirmative action, and many whites simultaneously resist affirmative action yet support additional assistance for African‑Americans.

Abstract

Theory: We examine the relationship between blatant racial prejudice and anger toward affirmative action. Hypotheses: (1) Blatantly prejudiced attitudes continue to pervade the white population in the United States. (2) Resistance to affirmative action is more than an extension of this prejudice. (3) White resistance to affirmative action is not unyielding and unalterably fixed. Methods: Analysis of experiments embedded in a national survey of racial attitudes. Some of these experiments are designed to measure racial prejudice unobtrusively. Results: Racial prejudice remains a major problem in the United States, but this prejudice alone cannot explain all of the anger toward affirmative action among whites. Although many whites strongly resist affirmative action, they express support for making extra efforts to help African-Americans.