Existing work in political science has long documented the significant role group identities play in public opinion. Yet when it comes to ingroup racial identity among whites, previous research suggests that it is non-existent, inconsequential, or both. I argue, however, that when factors in the political environment threaten their group’s dominant status, whites’ racial identity becomes a strong and meaningful predictor of political preferences. I identify a number of threats to whites’ status, including immigration, rapid demographic changes, and the election of Barack Obama. Using over twenty years of ANES survey data and two experiments conducted among a nationally diverse sample, I provide evidence that whites bring their racial identity to bear on evaluations of candidates, policies, and other political opinions that protect their group’s status. In particular, white identity is significantly related to more restrictive immigration attitudes and opposition to Obama in the 2012 election. This identity also predicts support for racialized policies that have traditionally benefitted whites, including Social Security and Medicare. White identity is not, however, a proxy for outgroup animus; it does not drive opposition to policies designed to benefit racial and ethnic minorities, including welfare, affirmative action, and federal spending on aid to blacks.Furthermore, whites who identify with their racial group become much more liberal in their policy positions when white identity is associated with white supremacism.
【 预 览 】
附件列表
Files
Size
Format
View
Demise of Dominance:Group Threat and the New Relevance of White Identity for American Politics.
PDF
download
878987797
028-85220240
