Enduring Pictures in Our Heads: The Continuance of Authoritarianism and Racial Stereotyping

Abstract

This study highlights the importance of examining the influence of personality measures, specifically authoritarianism, on negative racial stereotyping, even in an era of alleged color blindness. The authors examine the relationship of various demographic variables and authoritarianism with negative racial stereotyping in a sample of White urban respondents. Current literature suggests that age, sex, marital status, religious identification, religious service attendance, education level, income, political affiliation, level of authoritarianism, and the demographic composition in an individual's local population all affect racial stereotyping. The evidence presented, using path analysis, suggests that some demographic characteristics influence the level of negative racial stereotyping. While the effects of most included demographic characteristics were statistically significant, others, which continually resurface in the literature, remained insignificant (such as the demographic composition of the respondent's area). The results of this study challenge the loss of traditional prejudice with color blindness and point to the importance of authoritarianism as a mediating factor in negative racial stereotyping. The authors conclude the greatest indicators of negative racial stereotyping included in this study are authoritarianism, education, and income, while many other demographics - such as marital status, religious identification and attendance, and political affiliation - have indirect influences through authoritarianism.

The role of right-wing authoritarianism in distinguishing mental health stigma among treatment providers.

“…Altemeyer (2006) described individuals who hold strong RWA beliefs as likely to submit to authority figures and hold harsher attitudes toward those who do not conform to societal norms. Considering these characteristics, RWA beliefs have been evaluated extensively as related to prejudicial attitudes in various samples toward various “out-groups” including racial stereotyping, stigma toward transgender-identifying individuals, individuals living with HIV/AIDS, individuals classified as sex offenders, sexually transmitted infections, and immigrants and refugees (Cribbs & Austin, 2011; DeLuca, Vaccaro, Seda, et al, 2018; Foster & Byers, 2008; Hoffarth & Hodson, 2018; Thomsen et al, 2008; Von Collani et al, 2010; Żemojtel-Piotrowska et al, 2020).…”

Othering Obama

“…Research suggests that while whites have become less likely to voice blatant racial stereotypes (Schuman et al 1997), many still harbor what might be called traditional prejudices or what has sometimes been labeled traditional or old fashioned racism (Tesler 2013). Multiple studies have shown the continued political and policy relevance of traditional racism (Cribbs and Austin 2010;Huddy and Feldman 2009;Perkins 2009;Kinder and Mendelberg 1995;Pickett and Chiricos 2012). For instance, research by Mark Peffley, Jon Hurwitz, and Paul M. Sniderman (1997:30-31) suggests that whites subscribing to racial stereotypes are more likely to "judge Blacks more harshly than similarly described whites in the areas of welfare and crime policy."…”