Racial Attitudes, Educational Level, and a Personality Measure

In: Public opinion quarterly: journal of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Band 40, Heft 1, S. 108-114

Abstract

Relationships among education, a personality variable, & a wide variety of racial beliefs & attitudes are explored in a sample of 640 Detroit area whites. Education & an authoritarian type personality variable ("punitiveness") have similar correlations with indices measuring perceptions of black living conditions, perceptions of racial discrimination, feelings about casual interracial contact, & approaches to prevent racial violence. Punitiveness is more strongly related than education to racial stereotypes, attitudes toward interracial dating & marriage, & the R's potential discriminatory behavior. Punitiveness relates more strongly to all racial beliefs & attitudes for more-educated than less-educated R's, significantly so in the cases of perceptions of black living conditions & racial discrimination, racial stereotyping, potential discrimination, & approaches to prevent racial violence. 3 Tables. AA.