The trickle‐down effect of procedural fairness on perceptions of daily discrimination: How societal actors can build social trust among minority members

Abstract

Abstract The present research investigated the trickle‐down effect of procedural fairness enacted by societal institutions on minority members’ social trust. Building on the racial identity development hypothesis, we argued that procedural fairness represents a racial socialization experience, which influences how minorities perceive discrimination in daily life. Perceived group discrimination, in turn, impacts social trust. The results of five studies with African American samples corroborated the hypothesized mediation model. Study 1 showed that minority members distinctly perceive fairness enacted by institutions and discrimination by fellow citizens. Subsequent studies demonstrated that manipulating procedural fairness influenced perceived discrimination in an “attribution‐to‐discrimination” paradigm (Study 2), and that inducing discrimination lowered trust in an allocation game (Study 3). Finally, Studies 4 and 5 obtained cross‐sectional evidence for the full model. Our results thus contribute to literature by showing that perceived discrimination mediates the relationship between procedural fairness and social trust. Societally relevant practical implications are discussed.