White Identity and Selective Exposure to Information About Racism

Abstract

White Americans dramatically underestimate the severity of racism and racial inequality, which limits motivation to address them. Exposure to high quality information about systemic racism is known to reduce misperceptions of racism. However, information about racism will do little if its intended audience avoids it, which past research suggests they may be inclined to if they find it threatening. In seven studies (n = 2,056), this dissertation presents evidence that White Americans avoid information about racism because it threatens their racial identity—even when it is affirms their racial and political attitudes. Compared to participants of color, White participants avoided race-relevant information (Study 1) or information implicating Whiteness in racism (Study 2). These racial differences in information selection were shaped in part by identity-based motivations and not just attitudinal ones. Attitude and identity cues simultaneously affected how threatening White participants expected racial-political information to be (Studies 3A and 3B) and what information they selected (Studies 4 - 6). However, I found no evidence that experimentally heightening identity threats made White Americans any more avoidant of information implicating Whiteness in racism. Instead, identity-based motivations for selective exposure interacted with racial and political attitudes in complex ways. Together, this work highlights the necessity of considering both attitudes and identity to understand the nature of White Americans’ motivated resistance to information about racism and racial inequality.