Liberals perceive more racism than conservatives when police shoot Black men—But, reading about White privilege increases perceived racism, and shifts attributions of guilt, regardless of political ideology

Abstract

Across two studies, we examined how ideological differences in perceptions of racism influenced non-Black people's perceptions of violent encounters between police officers and Black men. In Study 1, social liberals perceived more racism when a Black man was shot by police than did social conservatives. However, a lesson about White privilege increased perceived racism in these events, regardless of political ideology. In Study 2, we replicated these effects and found that increases in perceived racism after reading about White privilege were associated with blaming the Black suspect less and the officer more for the violent altercation. We conclude that moral evaluations of police shootings are influenced by the salience of systemic racial inequality, which may help explain ideological differences in the perception of violence against Black men. Moreover, White privilege lessons can increase perceived racism in these events, regardless of ideology, and with downstream consequences for ratings of legal guilt.