Abstract
The authors examined attitudes and behaviors regarding close relationships between European and Asian Americans, with a particular emphasis on 5 major subgroups of Asian Americans (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Filipino Americans). Participants were 218 Asian American college students and 171 European American college students attending a culturally diverse university. The European Americans did not differentiate among the various subgroups of Asian Americans. Their attitudes regarding close relationships were less positive toward Asian Americans than toward Mexican and African Americans, a finding contrary to the prediction of social exchange theory (H. Tajfel, 1975). In contrast to the European Americans' view of homogeneity among Asian Americans, the 5 major subgroups of Asian Americans expressed a distinctive hierarchy of social preference among themselves. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for future research on interethnic relations involving Asian Americans.
Highlights
MOST RESEARCHERS ON INTERETHNIC RELATIONS have emphasized the relations between Whites and Blacks (Aboud & Skerry, 1984; Doyle, Beaudet, & Aboud. 1988; DuBois & Hirsch, 1990; Finkelstein & Haskins, 1983; Hallinan & Williams, 1989; Singleton & Asher, 1979)
We examined the friendships and interethnic attitudes of five major subgroups of Asian American college students toward one another and toward European Americans, African Americans, and Mexican Americans
Nor were there gender differences in the European American students' attitudes toward befriending and dating the five groups of Asian Americans, with one exception: The European American men were more positive than the women toward dating Japanese Americans, F(l, 149) ·
Summary
Participants were 389 college students (218 Asian Americans and 171 European Americans). In terms of generational status, 62% of the Asian American students and 90% of their parents had been born outside the United States. As reported by the students, the European American parents in the present sample had a higher level of education than did the Asian American parents. Five of the six groups of Asian Americans were similar in their fathers' education level "How easy is it for you to imagine that you might have a best friend who was (a) Caucasian (White), (b) African American (Black), (c) Mexican American, (d) Chinese American, (e) Japanese American, (f) Korean American, (g) Vietnamese American, and (h) Filipino American?" In rating each ethnic group,. We asked the students about their family demographics They provided infonnation on parental education, family structure, and years of residence in the United States
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