What is it about?

When Black and White people in the United States are led to believe that they live in a ZIP-code where White people make more than Black people on average (i.e., large racial income gap), their perceptions of discrimination, avoidance, anxiety, and mistrust between these groups increase. This relationship is in part due to heightened perceptions of Black–White competition; the belief that Black and White people are competing with one another.

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Why is it important?

This work contributes to our understanding of racial income inequality and intergroup competition by identifying perceived interracial competition as a mechanism for how Black–White inequality impacts person-level outcomes. Given the history, both past and ongoing, of racial tension in America, it is important that researchers continue to unpack the lasting effects and nuances of race-based disparities.

Perspectives

While the topic of income inequality can evoke many negative thoughts and feelings, I very much enjoyed working on this research and writing this article. I hope this work sparks new research ideas for the academics out there, and hope the readers find it interesting!

Jonathan Gordils
University of Hartford

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: The effect of Black–White income inequality on perceived interracial psychological outcomes via perceived interracial competition., Journal of Experimental Psychology General, April 2023, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/xge0001418.
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