Matthew O Hunt
Biographic Data
| ID | 102829 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Matthew O Hunt |
| GIVEN NAMES | Matthew |
| FAMILY NAME | O Hunt |
| SIGNATURE | HUNT M O |
| AFFILIATIONS | Northeastern University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5505-4338 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 26 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 663 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 26 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1996 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 12 |
On legacy persistence
Why do some communities perpetuate historical patterns of racial exclusion while others abandon them? We examine American sundown towns, communities that from the 1890s through the 1960s barred people of color from remaining within their borders after sunset. We argue that Second Wave Ku Klux Klan (KKK) organizations, active from 1915 through the 1940s, institutionalized and enforced this exclusion, embedding it in local structures. These structu…
State Legislators' Knowledge About Poverty, Inequality, and Social Policy
How much knowledge do policymakers have about poverty, inequality, and social policy and does that knowledge matter? This study analyzes innovative data from direct (e.g., face‐to‐face) interviews of 49 California and Texas state legislators. Knowledge is assessed comprehensively with 11 questions and compared against a nationally representative sample of adults. Legislators answered only 42.5% of questions correctly—statistically significantly, …
Race Preferences at Work
This study examines how white Americans' beliefs about affirmative action intersect with three important workplace factors: supervisory status (supervisors vs. subordinates), employment sector (public vs. private), and workplace racial composition. Using data from the 1996–2018 General Social Surveys, we first examine trends over time in three beliefs: (1) the perception that whites are hurt by affirmative action, (2) attitudes toward the prefere…
White Americans’ Attitudes Toward Reparations for Slavery
White Americans’ Opposition to Affirmative Action, Revisited
In this short article, we provide an update and extension of Thomas C. Wilson’s study, “Whites’ Opposition to Affirmative Action: Rejection of Group-based Preferences as well as Rejection of Blacks.” Wilson drew on data from the 1996 General Social Survey (GSS) to revisit a long-standing debate in the racial attitudes literature concerning whether anti-black prejudice (e.g., “new racism”) or ostensibly race-neutral opposition to group-based polic…
Public beliefs about the black/white socioeconomic status gap
Objective Citing 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. Methods We 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 culturall…
White Supervisor and Subordinate Beliefs about Black/White Inequality
This study examines the racial stratification beliefs of white Americans who have decision-making power at work (managers and supervisors) and of those (subordinates) who lack such power. We focus on whether these groups vary in overall levels of support for, and in determinants of, beliefs about racial inequality. Pooled cross-sectional analyses of data from the 1977 to 2014 General Social Surveys (GSS) reveal that, among both white supervisors …
In Search of a Safe School
Do school security policies affect how safe parents perceive schools to be, and do they influence parental choice behavior? We address these questions using data from a survey that asked U.S. parents to evaluate hypothetical schools whose security systems and student body racial composition were systematically varied, along with other school characteristics. Results indicate that parents identify schools with intensified security measures as less…
Race, Ethnicity, and Lay Explanations of Poverty in the United States
In this review, the author considers research on race/ethnicity and stratification beliefs, with special focus on beliefs about the causes of poverty in the United States. Stratification beliefs research has traditionally focused on describing what is believed about inequality, demonstrating the antecedents of beliefs, and outlining the consequences of belief adherence for the person, politics, and society. Race and ethnicity matter for Americans…
School Racial Composition and Parental Choice
Racial segregation remains a persistent problem in U.S. schools. In this article, we examine how social psychological factors-in particular, individuals' perceptions of schools with varying demographic characteristics-may contribute to the ongoing structural problem of school segregation. We investigate the effects of school racial composition and several nonracial school characteristics on white parents' school enrollment decisions for their chi…
Twenty‐First‐Century Trends in Black Migration to the U.S. South
Objective We examine (1) whether black migration trends from the final few decades of the 20th century continued during the first decade of the 21st century, (2) whether the black southern migration stream continues to be demographically distinctive, and (3) whether incorporating subjective/motivational factors into our models advances our understanding of race and interregional migration. Methods Using data from the 2000 to 2010 Current Populati…
“Call to Home?” Race, Region, and Migration to the U.S. South, 1970–2000 1
This research examines recent migration patterns of native‐born blacks and whites to the U.S. South. Our primary research questions concern race and regional migration dynamics, and whether new insights into such can be gleaned by comparing migrants to the South with persons moving within the non‐South. Using samples of 1970–2000 census data, we focus on race differences in the tendency to choose the South as a migration destination, and whether …
Social Class Identification Among Black Americans
Although much research documents the growth of a "professional middle class" among African Americans over the past several decades, we know comparatively little about how Blacks see themselves in social class terms, and whether this has changed over time. In the current study, we use data from the 1974 to 2010 General Social Surveys to analyze trends in, and the determinants of, Blacks' social class identifications (SCI) over the past four decade…
Concentrated Disadvantage and Beliefs about the Causes of Poverty
Studies of beliefs about social stratification have generally focused on how individual-level factors shape people's explanations of poverty and inequality. In this article, the authors contribute to this literature by adding a community-level measure of 'concentrated disadvantage' (poverty and associated conditions) to models predicting support for individualistic (person-centered) and structuralist (system-challenging) beliefs about the causes …
Race/Ethnicity, Perceived Discrimination, and Beliefs About the Meaning of an Obama Presidency
This paper explores how race/ethnicity and perceptions of racial discrimination and inequality shape beliefs about the implications of an Obama presidency for U.S. race relations. Specifically, using data from a June/July 2008 Gallup/USA Todaysurvey, we examine how African Americans, Hispanics, and Whites differ in their perceptions of the importance of an Obama victory and in beliefs about the implications of such for race relations, racial prog…
Who is Headed South? U.S. Migration Trends in Black and White, 1970-2000
This research examines inter-regional migration patterns in the United States by native-born whites and blacks over the final four decades of the 20th century. Our primary research question is whether regional changes in the United States have made the South a more favorable destination than it once was, especially for blacks. Using samples of census data from 1970 to 2000, we analyze white/black differences in primary (an original move) and retu…
Neighborhood Racial Composition and Perceptions of Racial Discrimination
Little is known about the effects of social context or “place” factors (e.g., characteristics of local populations) on African Americans' perceptions and experiences of racism. Using data from 42,445 U.S. black women collected during the 1997 follow-up wave of the Black Women's Health Study, we investigated the association between neighborhood racial composition (“percent black” at the block-group level in 2000 Census data) and perceptions of rac…
African American, Hispanic, and White Beliefs about Black/White Inequality, 1977-2004
Do African Americans, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites differ in their explanations of the socioeconomic divide separating blacks and whites in the United States? Have such explanations changed over time? To answer these questions, I use data from the 1977 to 2004 General Social Surveys (GSS) to map race/ethnic differences in support for, trends in, and the determinants of seven "modes of explanation" for blacks' disadvantage. Trends over time …
Hurricane Katrina and New Orleanians' Sense of Place
This paper explores some implications of Hurricane Katrina, especially as it affected, and will continue to affect, African Americans. Our observations stem largely from our ongoing examination of the demography of African Americans, including motivations to leave the South historically, and recent changes generating a significant "return migration" of African Americans to the South. The specific case of Katrina-related migration requires examini…
Race/Ethnicity and Beliefs about Wealth and Poverty
Objective. Lay explanations for “wealth” have been neglected in research on beliefs about social stratification. This study compares the nature and determinants of beliefs about the causes of both wealth and poverty, with special focus on race/ethnic differences. Methods. Using survey data collected from Los Angeles County residents in 2000, descriptive and multivariate procedures are used to analyze “individualistic” and “structuralist” beliefs …
Return Migrations of African-Americans to the South
Using samples of census data from the University of Minnesota Population Center's 'Integrated Public Use Microdata Series' (IPUMS), we describe trends in African-American migration to the South across recent decades, and explore the applicability of the concept of 'return migration' to various demographic patterns. Our findings suggest that the return movement contains multiple migration streams involving African-Americans of higher socio-economi…
Religion, Race/Ethnicity, and Beliefs about Poverty
Objective . Although an expanding literature on “stratification beliefs” has developed over the past three decades, research has neglected relationships between religion and beliefs about poverty and other inequalities. This study examines the relationship between religious affiliation and “individualistic,”“structuralist,” and “fatalistic” beliefs about the causes of poverty, and compares the beliefs of African Americans, Latinos, and whites. Me…
Race, Region, and Religious Involvement
This research examines (1) whether a comparative study of African Americans and whites in a nationwide sample hears out the widespread assumption of a distinctive African American religiosity (when region and other factors are controlled), and (2) whether any race differences provide support for the “semi-involuntary” interpretation of African American religious involvements. Using data from the 1974–94 General Social Surveys, we examine how a va…
Color-Blind
Matthew O. Hunt, Pamela Braboy Jackson, Brian Powell, Lala Carr Steelman, Color-Blind: The Treatment of Race and Ethnicity in Social Psychology, Social Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 63, No. 4, Special Millenium Issue on the State of Sociological Social Psychology (Dec., 2000), pp. 352-364
Regional Patterns of African American Church Attendance
In this study we examine the thesis that the black church represents a semi-involuntary institution with patterns of attendance shaped by dynamics of segregation in the rural South. We replicate the analyses of Ellison and Sherkat (1995) — who found distinctive church participation patterns in the rural South — through an examination of church attendance in two nationally representative data sets (the General Social Surveys for 1972–94 and the 19…
African American, Hispanic, and White Beliefs about Black/White Inequality, 1977-2004
Do African Americans, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites differ in their explanations of the socioeconomic divide separating blacks and whites in the United States? Have such explanations changed over time? To answer these questions, I use data from the 1977 to 2004 General Social Surveys (GSS) to map race/ethnic differences in support for, trends in, and the determinants of seven "modes of explanation" for blacks' disadvantage. Trends over time …
School Racial Composition and Parental Choice
Racial segregation remains a persistent problem in U.S. schools. In this article, we examine how social psychological factors-in particular, individuals' perceptions of schools with varying demographic characteristics-may contribute to the ongoing structural problem of school segregation. We investigate the effects of school racial composition and several nonracial school characteristics on white parents' school enrollment decisions for their chi…
The Individual, Society, or Both? A Comparison of Black, Latino, and White Beliefs about the Causes of Poverty
Journal Article The Individual, Society, or Both? A Comparison of Black, Latino, and White Beliefs about the Causes of Poverty Get access Matthew O. Hunt Matthew O. Hunt Indiana University Direct all correspondence to Matthew Hunt, Department of Sociology, 744 Ballantine Hall, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405. E-mail: [email protected]. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Social Forces, Volume 75, Is…
Race/Ethnicity and Beliefs about Wealth and Poverty
Objective. Lay explanations for “wealth” have been neglected in research on beliefs about social stratification. This study compares the nature and determinants of beliefs about the causes of both wealth and poverty, with special focus on race/ethnic differences. Methods. Using survey data collected from Los Angeles County residents in 2000, descriptive and multivariate procedures are used to analyze “individualistic” and “structuralist” beliefs …
Neighborhood Racial Composition and Perceptions of Racial Discrimination
Little is known about the effects of social context or “place” factors (e.g., characteristics of local populations) on African Americans' perceptions and experiences of racism. Using data from 42,445 U.S. black women collected during the 1997 follow-up wave of the Black Women's Health Study, we investigated the association between neighborhood racial composition (“percent black” at the block-group level in 2000 Census data) and perceptions of rac…
Color-Blind
Matthew O. Hunt, Pamela Braboy Jackson, Brian Powell, Lala Carr Steelman, Color-Blind: The Treatment of Race and Ethnicity in Social Psychology, Social Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 63, No. 4, Special Millenium Issue on the State of Sociological Social Psychology (Dec., 2000), pp. 352-364
Race, Region, and Religious Involvement
This research examines (1) whether a comparative study of African Americans and whites in a nationwide sample hears out the widespread assumption of a distinctive African American religiosity (when region and other factors are controlled), and (2) whether any race differences provide support for the “semi-involuntary” interpretation of African American religious involvements. Using data from the 1974–94 General Social Surveys, we examine how a va…
Return Migrations of African-Americans to the South
Using samples of census data from the University of Minnesota Population Center's 'Integrated Public Use Microdata Series' (IPUMS), we describe trends in African-American migration to the South across recent decades, and explore the applicability of the concept of 'return migration' to various demographic patterns. Our findings suggest that the return movement contains multiple migration streams involving African-Americans of higher socio-economi…
Religion, Race/Ethnicity, and Beliefs about Poverty
Objective . Although an expanding literature on “stratification beliefs” has developed over the past three decades, research has neglected relationships between religion and beliefs about poverty and other inequalities. This study examines the relationship between religious affiliation and “individualistic,”“structuralist,” and “fatalistic” beliefs about the causes of poverty, and compares the beliefs of African Americans, Latinos, and whites. Me…
Concentrated Disadvantage and Beliefs about the Causes of Poverty
Studies of beliefs about social stratification have generally focused on how individual-level factors shape people's explanations of poverty and inequality. In this article, the authors contribute to this literature by adding a community-level measure of 'concentrated disadvantage' (poverty and associated conditions) to models predicting support for individualistic (person-centered) and structuralist (system-challenging) beliefs about the causes …
Who is Headed South? U.S. Migration Trends in Black and White, 1970-2000
This research examines inter-regional migration patterns in the United States by native-born whites and blacks over the final four decades of the 20th century. Our primary research question is whether regional changes in the United States have made the South a more favorable destination than it once was, especially for blacks. Using samples of census data from 1970 to 2000, we analyze white/black differences in primary (an original move) and retu…
Hurricane Katrina and New Orleanians' Sense of Place
This paper explores some implications of Hurricane Katrina, especially as it affected, and will continue to affect, African Americans. Our observations stem largely from our ongoing examination of the demography of African Americans, including motivations to leave the South historically, and recent changes generating a significant "return migration" of African Americans to the South. The specific case of Katrina-related migration requires examini…
Race, Ethnicity, and Lay Explanations of Poverty in the United States
In this review, the author considers research on race/ethnicity and stratification beliefs, with special focus on beliefs about the causes of poverty in the United States. Stratification beliefs research has traditionally focused on describing what is believed about inequality, demonstrating the antecedents of beliefs, and outlining the consequences of belief adherence for the person, politics, and society. Race and ethnicity matter for Americans…
Race/Ethnicity, Perceived Discrimination, and Beliefs About the Meaning of an Obama Presidency
This paper explores how race/ethnicity and perceptions of racial discrimination and inequality shape beliefs about the implications of an Obama presidency for U.S. race relations. Specifically, using data from a June/July 2008 Gallup/USA Todaysurvey, we examine how African Americans, Hispanics, and Whites differ in their perceptions of the importance of an Obama victory and in beliefs about the implications of such for race relations, racial prog…
Social Class Identification Among Black Americans
Although much research documents the growth of a "professional middle class" among African Americans over the past several decades, we know comparatively little about how Blacks see themselves in social class terms, and whether this has changed over time. In the current study, we use data from the 1974 to 2010 General Social Surveys to analyze trends in, and the determinants of, Blacks' social class identifications (SCI) over the past four decade…
Regional Patterns of African American Church Attendance
In this study we examine the thesis that the black church represents a semi-involuntary institution with patterns of attendance shaped by dynamics of segregation in the rural South. We replicate the analyses of Ellison and Sherkat (1995) — who found distinctive church participation patterns in the rural South — through an examination of church attendance in two nationally representative data sets (the General Social Surveys for 1972–94 and the 19…
In Search of a Safe School
Do school security policies affect how safe parents perceive schools to be, and do they influence parental choice behavior? We address these questions using data from a survey that asked U.S. parents to evaluate hypothetical schools whose security systems and student body racial composition were systematically varied, along with other school characteristics. Results indicate that parents identify schools with intensified security measures as less…
Public beliefs about the black/white socioeconomic status gap
Objective Citing 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. Methods We 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 culturall…
White Americans’ Opposition to Affirmative Action, Revisited
In this short article, we provide an update and extension of Thomas C. Wilson’s study, “Whites’ Opposition to Affirmative Action: Rejection of Group-based Preferences as well as Rejection of Blacks.” Wilson drew on data from the 1996 General Social Survey (GSS) to revisit a long-standing debate in the racial attitudes literature concerning whether anti-black prejudice (e.g., “new racism”) or ostensibly race-neutral opposition to group-based polic…
Twenty‐First‐Century Trends in Black Migration to the U.S. South
Objective We examine (1) whether black migration trends from the final few decades of the 20th century continued during the first decade of the 21st century, (2) whether the black southern migration stream continues to be demographically distinctive, and (3) whether incorporating subjective/motivational factors into our models advances our understanding of race and interregional migration. Methods Using data from the 2000 to 2010 Current Populati…
White Supervisor and Subordinate Beliefs about Black/White Inequality
This study examines the racial stratification beliefs of white Americans who have decision-making power at work (managers and supervisors) and of those (subordinates) who lack such power. We focus on whether these groups vary in overall levels of support for, and in determinants of, beliefs about racial inequality. Pooled cross-sectional analyses of data from the 1977 to 2014 General Social Surveys (GSS) reveal that, among both white supervisors …
The Individual, Society, or Both? A Comparison of Black, Latino, and White Beliefs about the Causes of Poverty
Journal Article The Individual, Society, or Both? A Comparison of Black, Latino, and White Beliefs about the Causes of Poverty Get access Matthew O. Hunt Matthew O. Hunt Indiana University Direct all correspondence to Matthew Hunt, Department of Sociology, 744 Ballantine Hall, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405. E-mail: [email protected]. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Social Forces, Volume 75, Is…
Regional Patterns of African American Church Attendance
In this study we examine the thesis that the black church represents a semi-involuntary institution with patterns of attendance shaped by dynamics of segregation in the rural South. We replicate the analyses of Ellison and Sherkat (1995) — who found distinctive church participation patterns in the rural South — through an examination of church attendance in two nationally representative data sets (the General Social Surveys for 1972–94 and the 19…
Color-Blind
Matthew O. Hunt, Pamela Braboy Jackson, Brian Powell, Lala Carr Steelman, Color-Blind: The Treatment of Race and Ethnicity in Social Psychology, Social Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 63, No. 4, Special Millenium Issue on the State of Sociological Social Psychology (Dec., 2000), pp. 352-364
Race, Region, and Religious Involvement
This research examines (1) whether a comparative study of African Americans and whites in a nationwide sample hears out the widespread assumption of a distinctive African American religiosity (when region and other factors are controlled), and (2) whether any race differences provide support for the “semi-involuntary” interpretation of African American religious involvements. Using data from the 1974–94 General Social Surveys, we examine how a va…
Religion, Race/Ethnicity, and Beliefs about Poverty
Objective . Although an expanding literature on “stratification beliefs” has developed over the past three decades, research has neglected relationships between religion and beliefs about poverty and other inequalities. This study examines the relationship between religious affiliation and “individualistic,”“structuralist,” and “fatalistic” beliefs about the causes of poverty, and compares the beliefs of African Americans, Latinos, and whites. Me…
Race/Ethnicity and Beliefs about Wealth and Poverty
Objective. Lay explanations for “wealth” have been neglected in research on beliefs about social stratification. This study compares the nature and determinants of beliefs about the causes of both wealth and poverty, with special focus on race/ethnic differences. Methods. Using survey data collected from Los Angeles County residents in 2000, descriptive and multivariate procedures are used to analyze “individualistic” and “structuralist” beliefs …
Return Migrations of African-Americans to the South
Using samples of census data from the University of Minnesota Population Center's 'Integrated Public Use Microdata Series' (IPUMS), we describe trends in African-American migration to the South across recent decades, and explore the applicability of the concept of 'return migration' to various demographic patterns. Our findings suggest that the return movement contains multiple migration streams involving African-Americans of higher socio-economi…
Hurricane Katrina and New Orleanians' Sense of Place
This paper explores some implications of Hurricane Katrina, especially as it affected, and will continue to affect, African Americans. Our observations stem largely from our ongoing examination of the demography of African Americans, including motivations to leave the South historically, and recent changes generating a significant "return migration" of African Americans to the South. The specific case of Katrina-related migration requires examini…
Neighborhood Racial Composition and Perceptions of Racial Discrimination
Little is known about the effects of social context or “place” factors (e.g., characteristics of local populations) on African Americans' perceptions and experiences of racism. Using data from 42,445 U.S. black women collected during the 1997 follow-up wave of the Black Women's Health Study, we investigated the association between neighborhood racial composition (“percent black” at the block-group level in 2000 Census data) and perceptions of rac…
African American, Hispanic, and White Beliefs about Black/White Inequality, 1977-2004
Do African Americans, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites differ in their explanations of the socioeconomic divide separating blacks and whites in the United States? Have such explanations changed over time? To answer these questions, I use data from the 1977 to 2004 General Social Surveys (GSS) to map race/ethnic differences in support for, trends in, and the determinants of seven "modes of explanation" for blacks' disadvantage. Trends over time …
Who is Headed South? U.S. Migration Trends in Black and White, 1970-2000
This research examines inter-regional migration patterns in the United States by native-born whites and blacks over the final four decades of the 20th century. Our primary research question is whether regional changes in the United States have made the South a more favorable destination than it once was, especially for blacks. Using samples of census data from 1970 to 2000, we analyze white/black differences in primary (an original move) and retu…
Race/Ethnicity, Perceived Discrimination, and Beliefs About the Meaning of an Obama Presidency
This paper explores how race/ethnicity and perceptions of racial discrimination and inequality shape beliefs about the implications of an Obama presidency for U.S. race relations. Specifically, using data from a June/July 2008 Gallup/USA Todaysurvey, we examine how African Americans, Hispanics, and Whites differ in their perceptions of the importance of an Obama victory and in beliefs about the implications of such for race relations, racial prog…
Concentrated Disadvantage and Beliefs about the Causes of Poverty
Studies of beliefs about social stratification have generally focused on how individual-level factors shape people's explanations of poverty and inequality. In this article, the authors contribute to this literature by adding a community-level measure of 'concentrated disadvantage' (poverty and associated conditions) to models predicting support for individualistic (person-centered) and structuralist (system-challenging) beliefs about the causes …
“Call to Home?” Race, Region, and Migration to the U.S. South, 1970–2000 1
This research examines recent migration patterns of native‐born blacks and whites to the U.S. South. Our primary research questions concern race and regional migration dynamics, and whether new insights into such can be gleaned by comparing migrants to the South with persons moving within the non‐South. Using samples of 1970–2000 census data, we focus on race differences in the tendency to choose the South as a migration destination, and whether …
Social Class Identification Among Black Americans
Although much research documents the growth of a "professional middle class" among African Americans over the past several decades, we know comparatively little about how Blacks see themselves in social class terms, and whether this has changed over time. In the current study, we use data from the 1974 to 2010 General Social Surveys to analyze trends in, and the determinants of, Blacks' social class identifications (SCI) over the past four decade…
Twenty‐First‐Century Trends in Black Migration to the U.S. South
Objective We examine (1) whether black migration trends from the final few decades of the 20th century continued during the first decade of the 21st century, (2) whether the black southern migration stream continues to be demographically distinctive, and (3) whether incorporating subjective/motivational factors into our models advances our understanding of race and interregional migration. Methods Using data from the 2000 to 2010 Current Populati…
Race, Ethnicity, and Lay Explanations of Poverty in the United States
In this review, the author considers research on race/ethnicity and stratification beliefs, with special focus on beliefs about the causes of poverty in the United States. Stratification beliefs research has traditionally focused on describing what is believed about inequality, demonstrating the antecedents of beliefs, and outlining the consequences of belief adherence for the person, politics, and society. Race and ethnicity matter for Americans…
School Racial Composition and Parental Choice
Racial segregation remains a persistent problem in U.S. schools. In this article, we examine how social psychological factors-in particular, individuals' perceptions of schools with varying demographic characteristics-may contribute to the ongoing structural problem of school segregation. We investigate the effects of school racial composition and several nonracial school characteristics on white parents' school enrollment decisions for their chi…
In Search of a Safe School
Do school security policies affect how safe parents perceive schools to be, and do they influence parental choice behavior? We address these questions using data from a survey that asked U.S. parents to evaluate hypothetical schools whose security systems and student body racial composition were systematically varied, along with other school characteristics. Results indicate that parents identify schools with intensified security measures as less…
White Americans’ Opposition to Affirmative Action, Revisited
In this short article, we provide an update and extension of Thomas C. Wilson’s study, “Whites’ Opposition to Affirmative Action: Rejection of Group-based Preferences as well as Rejection of Blacks.” Wilson drew on data from the 1996 General Social Survey (GSS) to revisit a long-standing debate in the racial attitudes literature concerning whether anti-black prejudice (e.g., “new racism”) or ostensibly race-neutral opposition to group-based polic…
Public beliefs about the black/white socioeconomic status gap
Objective Citing 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. Methods We 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 culturall…
White Supervisor and Subordinate Beliefs about Black/White Inequality
This study examines the racial stratification beliefs of white Americans who have decision-making power at work (managers and supervisors) and of those (subordinates) who lack such power. We focus on whether these groups vary in overall levels of support for, and in determinants of, beliefs about racial inequality. Pooled cross-sectional analyses of data from the 1977 to 2014 General Social Surveys (GSS) reveal that, among both white supervisors …
White Americans’ Attitudes Toward Reparations for Slavery
Race Preferences at Work
This study examines how white Americans' beliefs about affirmative action intersect with three important workplace factors: supervisory status (supervisors vs. subordinates), employment sector (public vs. private), and workplace racial composition. Using data from the 1996–2018 General Social Surveys, we first examine trends over time in three beliefs: (1) the perception that whites are hurt by affirmative action, (2) attitudes toward the prefere…
On legacy persistence
Why do some communities perpetuate historical patterns of racial exclusion while others abandon them? We examine American sundown towns, communities that from the 1890s through the 1960s barred people of color from remaining within their borders after sunset. We argue that Second Wave Ku Klux Klan (KKK) organizations, active from 1915 through the 1940s, institutionalized and enforced this exclusion, embedding it in local structures. These structu…
Sociology (21 works) · Psychology (18 works) · Political science (17 works) · Gender Studies (16 works) · Social Psychology (16 works) · Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies (14 works) · Demography (9 works) · Ethnic group (8 works) · Gender Studies (8 works) · Social Psychology (8 works)