Priming racial resentment without stereotypic cues

Abstract

© 2016 by the Southern Political Science Association. All rights reserved. The prevailing theory on racial priming argues that counterstereotypic images of African Americans neutralize racial resentment. This study challenges previous findings, arguing that counterstereotypic images may not be as innocuous as they seem. Using an experiment conducted on a diverse sample of 357 white Americans, I investigate the confluence of racial and partisan cues, which very few studies have done. I empirically demonstrate that white Democratic candidates are penalized for associating with blacks, even if blacks are portrayed in a positive manner. However, since most studies of racial priming examine the impact of racial cues absent partisan information, to date we have been unaware of the differential effects of racial cues for white Democratic candidates as compared to their Republican counterparts. Racial resentment was primed such that white Democratic candidates associated with blacks were perceived as less fair, less likely to reduce crime, and less likely to receive vote support.