Who is your fate linked to? Racial discrimination predicting linked fate among people with mixed-race ancestry

Abstract

ABSTRACT People with mixed-race ancestry may experience connection with multiple ethnoracial groups, and ethnoracial discrimination may be associated with which ethnoracial groups individuals believe their fate is linked to. Using The Mixed-Race Ancestry Survey (2019), we examine the connection between people's reports of personal and group-level discrimination and their linked fate (believing what happens to a certain ethnoracial group impacts them) with various ethnoracial groups. Findings reveal that as personally experiencing ethnoracial discrimination increases, linked fate with all ethnoracial minorities increases. Thus, discrimination is strongly associated not only with linked fate with one's own ethnoracial minority group, but also the fate of other racialized minorities in the U.S. In addition, believing an ethnoracial group is discriminated against increases linked fate with said group in almost every case – including perceiving discrimination against Whites being associated with increased linked fate with Whites. Understanding the relationships between personal and group-level ethnoracial discrimination and linked fate strengthens our ability to predict outcomes and plan for the future.