People differ in their racial prejudices, and so do places. In recent years, an emerging stream of research has demonstrated that regions within countries differ in the levels of racial prejudice among their populations. These investigations into regional differences in racial prejudice are important because they can inform solutions to societally pressing problems. However, little is known about how these regional variations come about. Building on existing research, we propose that regional economic conditions may be a highly relevant, but so far overlooked, driver of regional differences in racial prejudice.
Background
In regions with worse economic conditions people tend to report stronger racial prejudice. Nevertheless, several questions remain open about the nature of this regional economy-prejudice link. Which specific economic conditions are driving this relationship? Is the economy-prejudice link stable across different levels of spatial resolution? What is the temporal dynamic in changes of economic conditions and racial prejudice levels? Which cognitive processes in the expression of racial prejudice may be modulated by economic conditions?
Mission
We examine how economic conditions drive regional differences in racial prejudice and try to identify key factors and processes. By combining large online-experiment data of racial prejudice with a wide range of regional economic data, we aim to (a) test the regional economic-prejudice link as comprehensively as possible, (b) carve out the relevance of specific economic conditions for regional racial prejudice and (c) make methodological contributions by applying state-of-the-art analytic techniques.
Research Approach
We combine historical regional economic data with geolocated data of experimentally assessed racial prejudice. We will investigate this relationship across a variety of economic indices and measures of regional racial prejudice. In doing so, we will look at different levels of spatial resolution and the temporal dynamics of regional changes. In addition, we will use cognitive modeling methods to disentangle the role of different cognitive processes underlying racial prejudice in the relationship to regional economic conditions.
Funding
The Project “Economic Conditions and Racial Prejudice: A Regional Perspective” is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) with CHF 391’833.
Research Team
The project is based at the Institute of Behavioral Science and Technology (IBT) at the University of St. Gallen and supported by our team and external collaborators.
External collaborators
