Call to (In)Action: The Effects of Racial Priming on Grassroots Mobilization

Hassell, Hans J.G.; Visalvanich, Neil

doi:10.1007/s11109-014-9297-x

Call to (In)Action: The Effects of Racial Priming on Grassroots Mobilization

Hassell, Hans J.G.; Visalvanich, Neil

Authors

Hans J.G. Hassell

Dr Neil Visalvanich neil.visalvanich@durham.ac.uk
Associate Professor

Abstract

Previous work on the effects of race on the political behaviors of white Americans is beset with two problems. First, much of the work on the effect of race has looked primarily at attitudes as opposed to political action around a policy. Second, studies of the relationship between race and policy have revolved around issues for which it is inherently difficult to separate the effects of racial prejudice from conservative ideology. To address these problems, we examine the willingness of individuals to write their member of Congress in support of a non-racial political cause, which we experimentally treat with racial cues. We also experimentally present a comparison with a non-racial but similar ‘specialized’ group, which allows us to distinguish concerns about race from concerns about specialized benefits objectionable to conservatives. We show that whites with higher levels of racial resentment are less likely to act politically in support of a policy perceived as benefiting ethnic and racial minorities.

Citation

Hassell, H. J., & Visalvanich, N. (2015). Call to (In)Action: The Effects of Racial Priming on Grassroots Mobilization. Political Behavior, 39(4), 911-932. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-014-9297-x

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Jan 6, 2015
Online Publication Date	Jan 6, 2015
Publication Date	Dec 1, 2015
Deposit Date	Sep 24, 2015
Publicly Available Date	Mar 8, 2016
Journal	Political Behavior
Print ISSN	0190-9320
Electronic ISSN	1573-6687
Publisher	Springer
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	39
Issue	4
Pages	911-932
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-014-9297-x