Stark Shifts, Subtle Consequences: How Changing Racial Attitudes Continue to Shape Crime Policy Support

• In Event: Race/Ethnicity, Public Opinion, and Criminal Justice

Abstract

Since the first Trump presidency, explicit racial appeals—notably in discussions on crime and criminal justice—are seemingly becoming more prevalent. This challenges previously held assumptions about how racism operates in the U.S. today. Research on racial attitudes suggests that explicit and overt racism—such as negative emotional affect toward Black Americans—has declined over time due to decreased social acceptance of such views. As a result, contemporary research has largely shifted toward examining implicit and subtle forms of racism—such as racial resentment—for their palatability to egalitarian values. This dissertation chapter utilizes longitudinal data from the American National Election Study (ANES) to explore historical trends in public opinion on both overt and subtle racial attitudes and their connection to support for the death penalty and crime spending. Findings will speak to three key areas: First, the distribution of overt and subtle racial attitudes across racial identities and political ideologies. Second, the changes over time in the prevalence of and relationship between overt and subtle racial attitudes. Third, the changes over time in the relationships between overt and subtle racial attitudes and crime policy support.

Author

• Christian Elijah Law, Northeastern University