Rainbow Coalitions or Inter-minority Conflict? Racial Affinity and Diverse Minority Voters

Bibliographic Data

ID6239101
AuthorsRandy Besco (0000-0002-7253-2562, Queen's University, corresponding author)
Year2015
Volume48
Issue2
Pages305-328
Publication date2015-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCanadian Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0008-4239 • E-ISSN: 1744-9324
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0008423915000396
OpenAlexW3121345371
LanguageEN
Citations received31
References cited41

There is a considerable amount of research about racial affinity effects, that voters are likely to support a candidate of the same race. However, it is unclear it this applies only to candidates of the voters' specific ethnocultural group or to racialized candidates in general. Previous research suggests that the prospects for “rainbow coalitions” on the basis of group identities are poor; indeed, findings of inter-minority conflict are common. This study uses new data from a web-based survey experiment with a large panel of racialized respondents. Respondents evaluated fictional candidates with the ethnicity of the candidates experimentally manipulated. While respondents show strong affinity for their own ethnocultural group, they also show some affinity for other minority candidates and certainly no inter-minority conflict. Effects are strongly conditional on the degree of ethnic self-identity. “Rainbow coalitions” may be more likely than previous research suggests

Ethnic group · Identity (music · Minority group · Panel survey · Political science · Race (biology · Rainbow · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Gender Studies · Law · Psychology · Social and Cultural Dynamics · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology

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