Whose Side Are You On? Explaining Perceptions of Competitive Threat

1. Whose Side Are You On? Explaining Perceptions of Competitive Threat Vincent L. Hutchings, Cara J. Wong, Ron E. Brown, James S. Jackson February 2, 2006

2. Research Questions • Do Racial/Ethnic Groups View One Another as Competitors? • How Do These Attitudes Vary Across Groups? • What Accounts for Attitudes of Competitive Threat?

3. Previous Research • Bobo & Hutchings (1996) Examine Racial Group Competition in Los Angeles. • They focus on the views of racial minorities and not just Whites. • Several Different Theoretical Explanations are Examined. • Classical Prejudice • Self-Interest • Group Position Theory • There is Some Support for Each Model.

4. Limitations of Previous Research • Bobo & Hutchings (1996) Only Focused on One City (Los Angeles). • Previous Work Does Not Examine Perceptions of Threat from Whites. • Previous Work Does Not Examine The Effects of In-Group Attitudes. • The National Ethnic Politics Study (NEPS) Addresses these Limitations.

5. National Ethnic Politics Study (NEPS):Sample Design • 3,339 Telephone Interviews Throughout U.S with Respondents 18 & Older. • 756 Black Americans • 919 Non-Hispanic Whites • 404 Caribbean Blacks • 757 Hispanics • 503 Asian Americans

6. Characteristics of The NEPS • Interviews Conducted in English or Spanish. • Field Date: September 2004-February 2005. • Response Rate: 31%.

7. Measuring Perceptions of Competitive Threat • “More good jobs for [Groups 1-4] means fewer good jobs for people like me.” • “The more influence [Groups 1-4] have in politics, the less influence people like me will have in politics.”

8. More Political Influence for Whites Means Less for My Group

9. More Political Influence for Whites Means Less for My Group

10. More Political Influence for Blacks Means Less for My Group

11. More Political Influence for Blacks Means Less for My Group

12. More Political Influence for Asians Means Less for My Group

13. More Political Influence for Asians Means Less for My Group

14. More Political Influence for Hispanics Means Less for My Group

15. More Political Influence for Hispanics Means Less for My Group

16. More Pol. Influence for Afro-Caribs Means Less for My Group

17. More Political Influence for Afro-Caribs Means Less for My Group

18. Measuring Racial Alienation • “American society just hasn’t dealt fairly with people from my background.”

19. “America Hasn’t Dealt Fairly With My Group”

20. Measuring Group Identity • “Do you think that what happens generally to [R Race] people in this country will have something to do with what happens in your life?”

21. Support for Linked Fate Attitudes

22. Measuring Racial Prejudice • “I would approve if someone in my family married a person of a different racial or ethnic background than mine.”

23. Opposition to Interracial Marriage

24. Determinants of Perceptions of Competitive Threat from Whites * p < .05; ** p < .01; *** p <.001. Models also control for age, education, income & gender.

25. Determinants of Perceptions of Competitive Threat from Blacks * p < .05; ** p < .01; *** p <.001. Models also control for age, education, income & gender.

26. Determinants of Perceptions of Competitive Threat from Asians * p < .05; ** p < .01; *** p <.001. Models also control for age, education, income & gender.

27. Determinants of Perceptions of Competitive Threat from Hispanics * p < .05; ** p < .01; *** p <.001. Models also control for age, education, income & gender.

28. Determinants of Perceptions of Competitive Threat from Afro-Caribs * p < .05; ** p < .01; *** p <.001. Models also control for age, education, income & gender.

29. Future Research? • Linking Survey Data to Various Contextual Data (e.g. % race, income, region, etc.) • Examining the Effects of Perceptions of Competitive Threat: • Presidential Approval. • Vote Choice. • Immigration Attitudes. • National Identity.