Supporters and opponents of donald trump respond differently to racial cues: An experimental analysis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Scopus citations

Abstract

A number of recent studies suggest that individuals who exhibit high levels of racial animosity strongly support Donald Trump, while racial liberals strongly oppose him. This paper provides a new experimental analysis of the extent to which supporters and opponents of Trump respond differently to race-related stimuli. Specifically, we examine whether attitudes toward Trump moderate the political impact of racial cues in the environment. We find that white Trump supporters randomly exposed to a black (versus a white) man in the context of soliciting their support for a housing-assistance policy were more opposed to the policy, angrier about the policy, and more likely to blame beneficiaries for their situation. The opposite pattern prevailed among whites with unfavorable opinions of Trump. Our results help provide new insight into how Trump supporters and opponents differ in their responses to the salience of race in American politics.

Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalResearch and Politics
Volume4
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2017

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This publication was made possible (in part) by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the author.

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2017.

Keywords

  • Election
  • Experiment
  • Race

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Supporters and opponents of donald trump respond differently to racial cues: An experimental analysis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this