Caller accents stereotype social class and may bias emergency dispatch priority

Evidence

Studies have shown that, for instance, different accents are stereotypically associated with different social classes (Krauss & Pardo, 2006); thus, in this context, where the only means of communication occurs through the phone, such characteristics might be particularly important because they have the potential to affect decision-making. For instance, if the caller’s vocal characteristics suggest that they belong to a high socioeconomic class, will the dispatcher be more likely to prioritize this call, compared to when the caller sounds like they belong to a lower socioeconomic class? Furthermore, paraverbal cues, such as shakiness of voice, could also signal how much stress or threat the caller is experiencing, and the way they interpret these emotional states might influence how they transmit this information to the first responders. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 296 (#expands, via linked claim)

I accept that to an RP speaker my broad slow vowels are evidence of stupidity. What bothers me is that nowadays, to a northern ear, I sound southern: that is to say, insufferably posh and affected. I don’t belong anywhere. And this gives me a problem: which bits of English history are my history? — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 48 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Standardized dispatch protocols traded discretionary filtering for reduced individual bias; Emergency call transcripts remain unstudied for biased language; Caller vocal cues like accent could bias emergency dispatchers’ response decisions. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 296 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Caller vocal cues like accent could bias emergency dispatchers’ response decisions. #expands (0.97) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 296
• Regional accents signal perceived social class and cultural displacement to listeners. #expands (0.93) — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 48