Color-Blind Racial Attitudes and Psychosocial Costs of Racism to White Young Adults

• In Event: 3-213 - White Young Adults’ Ideologies, Attitudes, and Responses to Racism

Integrative Statement

Color-blind racial attitudes are common and prevailing schemas for many Whites in the U.S. (Apfelbaum et al., 2012), and involve the denial, distortion, and minimization of race and racism (Neville et al., 2013). It promotes a value of meritocracy where people are rewarded on the basis of merit alone and inequality is a product of hard work, rather than race or racism. Therefore, color-blind racial attitudes for Whites justify racist attitudes and behaviors toward people of color by denying blatant racism, institutional racism, and white privilege (Neville et al., 2000). Color-blind racial attitudes have been linked to White young adults’ racial bias (Richerson & Nussbaum, 2004) and discrimination toward minority groups (Neville et al., 2000; Parks & Yoo, 2016). In addition to attitudes, White individuals’ experience psychological feelings associated with racism (Spanierman et al., 2006). These include guilt and shame of being White, a fear of individuals from other racial-ethnic backgrounds, and feelings of empathy directed toward individuals experiencing racism. Although research has documented the implications of these feelings (Spanierman et al., 2006), no research has explored the ways that these psychological feelings and costs may co-occur with color-blind racial attitudes. Understanding White young adults’ configurations of color-blind attitudes and feelings associated with racism is critical to develop interventions to reduce perpetration of racism in the U.S. by Whites. The current study examined how color-blind racial attitudes co-occur with White young adults’ psychological feelings about racism using latent profile analyses, and linked profiles to young adults’ views on racism, openness to diversity, sociopolitical control, and life satisfaction.
Method/Results: We utilized a sample of 961 self-identified White young adults (Mage = 22.93 years) attending a university in the Southwest. Participants reported their color-blind ideologies using the Colorblind Racial Attitude Scale (Neville et al., 2000) and their feelings of empathy, fear, and guilt related to racism using the Psychological Costs of White Racism (PCWR; Spanierman & Heppner, 2004). Participants also reported their current views on racism (McConahay, 1986), openness to diversity (Pascarella et al., 1996), sociopolitical control (Paulhus, 1981) and life satisfaction (Diener et al., 1985). Latent profiles analyses were conducted using color-blind ideology and PCWR subscales. A 2-profile solution emerged as the best fitting solution. Based on the patterns of means, the two profiles (Figure 1) were termed: Color-Conscious, Response Congruent (48%) and Color-Blind Response, Avoidant (52%). These two profiles differed on most outcomes (Table 2); Young adults in the Color-Conscious Response Congruent profile reported lower levels of racism and greater levels of openness in regards to diversity as compared to those in the Color-Blind Response Avoidant profile. However, Color-Blind Response Avoidant students reported greater life satisfaction as compared to those in the Color-Conscious Response Congruent profile. No differences emerged on sociopolitical control.
Discussion/Implications: Young adults’ attitudes and psychological feelings of racism co-occur in meaningful ways and relate to important views and attitudes. Color-blind attitudes with low guilt relate to more racism, less openness to diversity, but greater life-satisfaction. Implications of profiles in relation to interventions and anti-racism work will be discussed.

Authors

• Katharine H. Zeiders, University of Arizona
  Presenting Author

• Hyung Chol (Brandon) Yoo, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sarah J Parks, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Angela Cruze, University of Arizona
  Non-Presenting Author

• Melissa Y. Delgado, University of Arizona
  Non-Presenting Author

• Russell B Toomey, University of Arizona
  Non-Presenting Author