Public beliefs about the black/white socioeconomic status gap: What's "upbringing" got to do with it?*

In: Social science quarterly, Volume 103, Issue 1, p. 82-89

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveCiting the black family as the locus of responsibility for black disadvantage has a long history in the United States; however, only limited research has examined the place of family upbringing in studies of Americans' beliefs about the causes of racial inequality.MethodsWe use data from the 2010, 2012, and 2014 General Social Surveys (GSS) to examine the prevalence and selected correlates of a newly offered (by the GSS) and culturally centered explanation of the black/white socioeconomic status gap focusing on "differences in upbringing."ResultsThe "upbringing" explanation is the most popular of the five reasons offered by the GSS in all three waves of data available for examination. Three‐quarters of GSS respondents endorse this view, while less than half endorse the next most popular explanation. Upbringing is also the most popular explanation among all three race/ethnic groups we examine, though non‐Hispanic whites endorse this view most strongly.ConclusionOur results offer important insights for future survey design and investigations of public beliefs about racial inequality.