‘Race still matters, however… ’: implicit identification with blacks, pro-black policy support and the Obama candidacy

Abstract

Obama's 2008 election offers an opportunity to study pro-black political support despite documented anti-black bias. We argue that black group-identification may lead to pro-black opinions, even among some whites. We investigate automatic identification using an implicit measure of mental self–other overlap (implicit closeness to blacks) administered before the 2008 election to an online panel (N=1,177). Implicit closeness to blacks predicts pro-black responses on the Racial Resentment Scale, and support for government aid to blacks and affirmative action, as well as pride in Obama, even among some white respondents. In our overall online sample it also predicts vote intentions for Obama two weeks prior to the 2008 elections. We discuss these results without resorting to a ‘post-racial’ logic: race still matters. However, among some respondents implicit identification with blacks may overwrite anti-black Racial Resentment bias.