Perceptions about the Amount of Interracial Prejudice Depend on Racial Group Membership and Question Order

Abstract

Few studies have attempted to examine how racial group membership may interact with survey context to in! uence responses to questions about race. Analyzing over 9,000 respondents from split- ballot experiments embedded in national polls, this research examines the extent to which question order interacts with one' ss elf-reported racial group to in! uence beliefs about the amount of interracial preju- dice that exists between Blacks and Whites. The results show that in- group members (e.g., Blacks) tend to view out-group members (e.g., Whites) as having more dislike toward their in-group (e.g., Whites dis- like Blacks) only when the in-group is asked about rst—a contrast. When in-group members (e.g., Blacks) are evaluated after out-groups (e.g., Whites), they will view their in-group's dislike as similar to that of the out-groups—an assimilation. The results serve to remind survey researchers and practitioners of the careful attention that must be paid to context and response biases.