A recently released study coauthored by a Syracuse University researcher reveals how beliefs and political affiliations shape the public’s understanding about racial inequalities.
The paper, “Historical information and beliefs about racial inequality,” was released earlier this year and published in the academic journal Politics, Groups, and Identities.
The researchers—Steven White, Assistant Professor, Syracuse University, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and Albert Fang, an independent scholar based in New York City—evaluated if learning about historical events, and especially the roots of racist politics and practices in America, impact people’s beliefs about systematic racial inequality.
They analyzed data from two key studies that surveyed adults who were randomly assigned to learn about the effects of systematic housing, education, and job discrimination that has negatively impacted Black communities throughout the United States.
According to Fang and White, they “find compelling evidence that such arguments can increase beliefs in the existence of Black-white racial inequality and increase beliefs in structural causes of racial inequality, particularly among white Republicans and Independents.” They also find evidence that such information can reduce racial resentment among these groups.
The researchers say this demonstrates that exposure to historical information can induce more nuanced thinking about contemporary racial inequalities in the United States.
The researchers conclude that more study is needed for more questions arising from the research. First, they did not observe consistent effects, especially among white Republicans, of historical information on both beliefs about racial inequality’s existence and beliefs in various structural causes of racial inequality.
“We suspect this reflects differences between acknowledging a problem, acknowledging the causes of a problem, and agreeing on the solution. This suggests that even if more Americans acknowledge that racial inequality exists, agreeing on solutions to meaningfully redress it may be more difficult,” the researchers write in the paper.
The complete paper, and its supporting materials, can be found here.
Reporters looking to connect with the authors of the report, please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, executive director of media relations at Syracuse University, at 412-496-0551 or ejmbuqe@syr.edu.
The capture and euthanization of P’Nut the squirrel and Fred the raccoon has sparked significant political debate ahead of Election Day. If you need an expert to discuss the cultural and political power of pets, please consider Robert Wilson, associate…
Reporters looking for an expert to discuss issues around the election and the ongoing anxiety and fear permeating society, please see comments from Shana Gadarian, professor of political science at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and co-author of “Anxious…
Margarita Estévez-Abe, associate professor of political science at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, shared her thoughts below on Japan’s general election results. Her research focuses on Japan, gender, and political economy. If you’d like to schedule…
If you are doing a story on Halloween candy prices and/or nutrition, I have two faculty experts you may want to consider speaking with. You can view their names and information below. If you’d like to schedule an interview, please…
In a newly-published paper, “Genomics and synthetic community experiments uncover the key metabolic roles of acetic acid bacteria in sourdough starter microbiomes,” researchers at Syracuse University College of Arts and Science examine how certain strains of bacteria, and specifically the…
If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.
