Race, Bias, and Attitudes Toward Drug Control Policy

Abstract

This research explores the associative and interactive effects of race and perceived racial bias on attitudes toward drug policies among a sample of university students. Extant research that has examined general crime control attitudes has suggested the relative influence of both variables. However, our exploratory analysis finds perceived racial bias to be the most salient factor, whereas race, measured discretely, exhibits no interactive effect. The discussion considers structural explanations for racial disparity and advocates a more robust measurement of race variation that includes racial categorization, self-identification, and bias.