Black–White Relations in the Wake of Hispanic Population Growth

Abstract

For the first time in US history, three ethnoracial groups—Blacks, Whites, and Hispanics—each make up more than 10% of the total population. This represents a major departure from the binary, black–white system of race relations that historically characterized the United States. This dissertation examines how Hispanic growth—real and perceived—affects relations between Blacks and Whites. Previous research on intergroup relations is focused primarily on the case of two groups—Blacks and Whites, in-group and out-group, blue- and brown-eyed children—and provides few insights into whether or how the growth of a third group affects relations between two other groups. This dissertation attempts to move the theory and research of intergroup relations beyond the two-group paradigm by examining the impact of Hispanic growth on relations between Blacks and Whites.

Chapter 1 reviews the social psychological and sociological literature on intergroup relations, with special attention to the impact of group size and growth. I explain why research on diversity and its consequences falls short on its promise to shed light on multi-group relations. Chapter 2 is based on an original laboratory experiment that incorporates behavioral game and survey components. Results suggest Whites react to perceived Hispanic growth by prioritizing their racial identity and Blacks react to perceived Hispanic growth by prioritizing their national identity; patterns of identification mirror contributions in a dictator game. Chapter 3 draws on data from the 2012 Cooperative Congressional Election Survey (CCES) to examine whether the predictions of the lab experiment play out in non-Hispanic Whites’ racial and racial policy attitudes and with respect to local levels of Hispanic growth. Chapter 4 uses an original, national survey experiment along with CCES data to examine whether educational attainment conditions the effect of Hispanic growth. Results reveal a non-monotonic relationship between education and reactions to growth. Chapter 5 highlights implications for theories of intergroup relations, raises questions for future research, and speculates about the future of the US racial order.