General ethnocentrism seems to be a powerful antecedent of immigration opinion, typically displaying larger effects than economic concerns. News about immigration, however, may focus attention on particular group in given historical moment. We predict group‐specific affect, not general ethnocentrism, should most powerfully shape policy opinion the contemporary United States. test this expectation with content analyses news coverage, survey data from 1992 2008, experiment, and official...

Abstract A growing body of work has examined the psychological underpinnings conspiracy theory endorsement, arguing that propensity to believe in theories and political rumors is a function underlying predispositions motivated reasoning. We show, like others, rumor endorsement can also be individuals’ group attitudes. In particular, among white Americans, birther beliefs are uniquely associated with racial animus. merge this finding other which shows more strongly endorsed by individuals...

The concept of racist dehumanization is essential for political scientists who seek to understand the nature, scope, and consequences white racial prejudice in United States today. Racist consists a variety processes that construct, refashion, maintain race by coding some people as therefore fully human others other than less human. In this review, we focus on Indigenous Black people, arguing have long been implicated both practice race-making concurrent efforts exploit dominate racialized...

Political observers have expressed concern about the failure of some Americans to uphold democratic principles. We argue that support for antidemocratic authoritarian governance is associated with whites’ psychological attachment their racial group and a desire maintain group’s power status in face multiracial democracy. Drawing on historical work, we posit efforts restrict democracy are deeply rooted America’s past; present empirical analysis demonstrating today, whites higher levels...

Since the first half of twentieth century, whites have become much more accepting principle racial equality even as they continued to endorse negative stereotypes about African-Americans. Some scholars argue that this ambivalence has been exploited by contemporary political elites who learned fashion subtle appeals activate these latent attitudes without appearing violate widely held norms equality. This strategy dubbed priming. In brief article, we summarize and evaluate work in area, with...

Recent work finds that the sense of solidarity some whites feel with their racial group is strongly associated political attitudes, particularly since election Barack Obama. Prior has also noted levels this identity have been stable across time and data sources. We, however, document a notable decline in white both panel cross‐sectional national survey immediately after 2016 presidential election. Using two‐wave design, we examine factors decline. We whether particular emotional reactions,...

Some scholars argue that Donald Trump's electoral college victory in 2016 was predicated on his ability to attract racially hostile white voters. Others the increased relationship between whites' racial attitudes and presidential vote choice because partisanship had become even more aligned following presidency of Barack Obama. Building research shows voters tend update their policy positions align with preferred candidates, we propose a third mechanism helps account for strong 2016. We...

Abstract Public opinion research has long demonstrated that white Americans are generally resistant to racially egalitarian policies. Using decades of national public data, we re-examine on race policy in the wake considerable polarization and shifts racial attitudes across partisans. We find Democrats have recent years shown both increasingly liberal a marked increase support for policies promoting equality at times rivals levels expressed by Black Americans. also find, however, these...

Abstract In the media, during sporting events, in online forums, and interpersonal interactions, whites often portray Black people as animals, especially apes or monkeys. this essay we consider what contemporary research on prejudice American politics has to say about these dehumanizing portrayals of people. We argue that political science work not done enough understand both historical roots continuing practices whites' dehumanization people, detriment an accurate understanding racial...

Abstract Political scientists have long noted the key role racial attitudes can play in electoral politics. However, 2016 election of Donald Trump raises questions about prevailing theories and their political effects. While existing research focuses on ‘cultural’ or ‘modern’ forms prejudice, this article argues that a sizeable portion White Americans, disturbingly, dehumanize Black people: is, they view people as less than fully human. Unsurprisingly, given blatant racism Trump's campaign,...

Abstract In recent years, American politics has been defined by party polarization driven in part Americans’ diverging attitudes toward immigration. this article, I suggest that Donald Trump was able to capitalize on and the way which race is implicated issue of He did so appealing held two distinct groups white Americans – those who possess a sense animosity members immigrant like Muslims Latinos, separately, whites may demonstrate little out-group hostility, but instead have strong...

Reported hate crimes against Black people surged following Trump's election. While only a relatively small fraction of Americans committed these abhorrent actions, we show that victory had broader effects on the attitudes larger white public. Specifically, Trump altered extent to which survey respondents describe in dehumanizing ways. We report findings from two-wave national rated scale two separate occasions: before and after 2016 presidential supporters as "less evolved" post-election...

Abstract In this paper, we analyze trends in Americans’ immigration attitudes and policy preferences nationally across partisan racial/ethnic groups. the 1990s early 2000s, Democrats Republicans shared similarly negative toward immigrants high levels of support for restrictionist policies. Beginning 2010s continuing through 2020s, however, Democrats’ aggregate opinions liberalized considerably. We observed increasingly liberal among all racial ethnic backgrounds after 2016, but trend was...

Racial and ethnic minority lower-income groups are disproportionately affected by environmental hazards suffer worse health outcomes than other in the United States. Relative to whites higher-income groups, racial-ethnic Americans also frequently express greater concern about high-profile global threats like climate change, but they widely misperceived as being less concerned these issues white Americans. We use new survey research explore public perceptions of COVID-19—another threat marked...