The New Racism

In: American journal of political science: AJPS, Band 35, Heft 2, S. 423-447

Abstract

Covert & symbolic racism are investigated using a two-part experimental design to ascertain: (1) the conditions under which blacks are penalized because they are black; (2) the extent to which covert racism is concealed; & (3) the extent to which conservative values encourage a racial double standard in judging who is & who is not entitled to government assistance. Here, the results of the Race & Politics Survey conducted by the Survey Research Center at Stanford U (Calif) in 1985, which employed computer-assisted interviewing & sampling, are reported for whites only (N not provided). Findings show that political conservatism was correlated with opposition to policies to assist blacks & with support for negative images of blacks as lazy & irresponsible. The experimental results, however, pose fundamental challenges to symbolic & modern racism theories, which contend that there is a new kind of racism in the US that takes the form of racial prejudice plus traditional, conservative values. The experimental results demonstrate, on the one hand, that conservatives are not more likely to refuse government help to blacks who have violated traditional values; on the other hand, results demonstrate that conservatives are more likely to favor government help for blacks who have acted in accord with traditional values. The experimental results, moreover, identify a key condition for the expression of discrimination -- a focus on group rather than individual claimants -- & demonstrate that discrimination is not encouraged by a particular ideological outlook, conservative or liberal, but rather is most common in the absence of any ideological stance. 9 Tables, 2 Appendixes, 31 References. Adapted from the source document.