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From the Yellow Peril to the Model Minority: An Experimental Survey Examining Racial Attitudes towards Asian Americans

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Date Issued:
2016
Abstract/Description:
Attitudinal research continues to show a more liberal trend in racial attitudes of Whites towards Blacks across a spectrum of issues (i.e. interracial marriage, residential integration, etc.) leading some to believe that we are moving into a post-racial society. However, a growing body of research has brought into question this utopian post-racial assertion. While Whites express support for racial equality in principle, they vehemently oppose race-targeted policies aimed to address racial inequality. This principle-policy gap has been consistently associated with persistent racial resentment; thus, contradicting the notion that of a post-racial era. Existing attitudinal research is often limited to the Black-White binary. Asian Americans in particular are often omitted from attitudinal research. Through a group threat framework, which argues that racial resentment occurs when there exists a threat to valued resources, this dissertation research examines racial attitudes towards Asian American in four domains: education, jobs, marriage, and residential integration. Given the stereotype of the model minority and the successes made by many Asian Americans, the project assesses whether there continues to be underlying racial resentment toward Asian Americans by Whites and whether the racial resentment is based in feelings of threat to valued resources. This study utilized an experimental list survey design, which addresses social desirability bias in traditional survey research. Quantitative analyses were conducted from a sample collected at a large public university. Traditional difference-in-means approach along with Ordinary Least Squares Regression were conducted to examine what factor(s) significantly predicted anger towards Asian Americans in these domains. Results suggests that group threat significantly predicted the presence of anger towards Asian Americans in the job domain, but not in the education, marriage, or residential domains. As group threat increased in the job domain, presence of anger also significantly increased. Results suggest that not every domain stimulates feelings of anger towards Asian Americans. Moreover, not every domain evokes feelings of threat to valued resources.
Title: From the Yellow Peril to the Model Minority: An Experimental Survey Examining Racial Attitudes towards Asian Americans.
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Name(s): Nguyen, Jenny, Author
Carter, J. Scott, Committee Chair
Carter, Shannon, Committee Member
Anthony, Amanda, Committee Member
Corra, Mamadi, Committee Member
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2016
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: Attitudinal research continues to show a more liberal trend in racial attitudes of Whites towards Blacks across a spectrum of issues (i.e. interracial marriage, residential integration, etc.) leading some to believe that we are moving into a post-racial society. However, a growing body of research has brought into question this utopian post-racial assertion. While Whites express support for racial equality in principle, they vehemently oppose race-targeted policies aimed to address racial inequality. This principle-policy gap has been consistently associated with persistent racial resentment; thus, contradicting the notion that of a post-racial era. Existing attitudinal research is often limited to the Black-White binary. Asian Americans in particular are often omitted from attitudinal research. Through a group threat framework, which argues that racial resentment occurs when there exists a threat to valued resources, this dissertation research examines racial attitudes towards Asian American in four domains: education, jobs, marriage, and residential integration. Given the stereotype of the model minority and the successes made by many Asian Americans, the project assesses whether there continues to be underlying racial resentment toward Asian Americans by Whites and whether the racial resentment is based in feelings of threat to valued resources. This study utilized an experimental list survey design, which addresses social desirability bias in traditional survey research. Quantitative analyses were conducted from a sample collected at a large public university. Traditional difference-in-means approach along with Ordinary Least Squares Regression were conducted to examine what factor(s) significantly predicted anger towards Asian Americans in these domains. Results suggests that group threat significantly predicted the presence of anger towards Asian Americans in the job domain, but not in the education, marriage, or residential domains. As group threat increased in the job domain, presence of anger also significantly increased. Results suggest that not every domain stimulates feelings of anger towards Asian Americans. Moreover, not every domain evokes feelings of threat to valued resources.
Identifier: CFE0006154 (IID), ucf:51130 (fedora)
Note(s): 2016-05-01
Ph.D.
Sciences, Sociology
Doctoral
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): racial attitudes -- Asian Americans -- group positioning -- experimental list survey
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006154
Restrictions on Access: public 2016-05-15
Host Institution: UCF

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