For years, researchers thought racial animosity declined. But our analysis suggests a different story: negative emotions like anger power opposition to policies among white conservatives.
New Belief Systems: Old-fashioned racism gave way to symbolic racism (racial resentment) or nonracial ideologies driving attitudes.
Our theory proposes that contemporary politics has fused anger with conservative race beliefs, transforming the emotional basis of racial prejudice. Where disgust once drove views on biological inferiority, anger now motivates resistance against equality policies.
Experimental Findings: We tested emotions using a nonpolitical task and discovered: Anger boosts opposition to redistributive policies among white racial conservatives more effectively than disgust or fear.
Nonracial factors like ideology/small government preference aren't activated by these negative feelings.
This research reveals that Emotional Shifts Explain Enduring Racial Attitudes.
