Stereotypes, Stereotype (In-)accuracy, and Hiring Discrimination: Evidence from a Survey Experiment

Abstract

Discrimination in firms’ hiring decisions is an important problem from a managerial and societal perspective. Previous evidence suggests that stereotypes about unobserved personality characteristics predict hiring discrimination based on ethnic background, but knowledge on the extent, statistical (in-)accuracy, and implications of these stereotypes is limited. In this preregistered study, I used a survey experiment to analyze (a) stereotypes about ethnic differences in personality traits, attitudes, and values, (b) the statistical (in-)accuracy of these stereotypes, (c) the relationship of these stereotypes with (hypothetical) hiring discrimination, and (d) whether the provision of accurate statistical information affects hiring discrimination. On average, participants perceived ethnic minority (vs. majority) individuals to score lower in feeling of connectedness to the majority population and substantially lower in gender equality values. Participants underestimated the group difference in conscientiousness and substantially overestimated the group difference in gender equality values between ethnic majority vs. minority individuals, compared to representative empirical data. Only the stereotype about lower gender equality values lowered ethnic minority applicants’ relative hiring chances. The provision of statistical information had no significant effect on relative hiring chances. Overall, the results indicate the prevalence of statistically inaccurate ethnic stereotypes and suggest that these are partly linked to hiring decisions.