(Mis)perceptions of Racial Wealth Inequality: The Role of Colorblind Racism and Implications for Public Policy

One of the largest racial disparities is the Black-White wealth gap, in which Black households hold 13% of the wealth of White households. Previous research demonstrates that White Americans tend to consistently underestimate this wealth gap. Across two main studies and a pilot study, I explored colorblind racism as a possible mechanism underlying perceptions of racial wealth disparities. I also examined the implications these perceptions may have for support of public policy that would address racial economic inequality. The pilot study and Study 1 were correlational and results generally supported my hypotheses. Participants (White Americans), on average, significantly underestimated Black-White wealth inequality, and also (in Study 1), Latinx-White, and Asian-White wealth inequality. Investment in colorblind racial ideology (CBRI) predicted underestimation of the three target wealth gaps and these relationships held when controlling for political ideology. Study 1 also demonstrated that the smaller the wealth gap perceived, the lower support expressed for policies that address racial economic inequality. Perceptions of the three wealth gaps also partially mediated the relationship between investment in CBRI and (lack of) support for racial inequity-reducing policy. Study 2 was designed to experimentally test the causal effect of CBRI on perceptions but the attempted manipulation of CBRI failed in terms of the manipulation check. However, when data were collapsed across conditions, findings replicated results from Study 1. Results suggest misperceptions of racial wealth inequality provide a path through which colorblind racism functions as an epistemology of ignorance: a framework of cultural-psychological tools that afford denial of and inaction about injustice.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Kansas

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Cortesi, Jordan

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Biernat, Monica

• Social psychology
• colorblind racism
• ideology
• ignorance
• legitimization
• politics
• racial economic inequality

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright held by the author.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:19064

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/38794