Highlighting a shared non-White negational identity increased minority support for a Black presidential candidate.

Evidence

Whereas conventional appeals to common experience of discrimination or superordinate identities such as party affiliations have not been very successful in overcoming group barriers among minority racial groups, we found that highlighting one’s negational identity as non-White increased Latino and Asian support for a Black Presidential candidate, even without any coordination of interests (given the minor differences between the two front runner’s policy). Further, we found that activating a negational racial identity made Latinos’ attitudes toward other minority groups more positive and these attitudes partially drove their shift in voting preferences in favor of Obama. — Chen-Bo Zhong, Adam D. Galinsky, and Miguel M. Unzueta, Negational racial identity and…, 35

Categorization

• XREF: Direct primary source for the negational-identity finding central to the We-They Engine thread — the contrast with affirmative/superordinate appeals (‘we are all Democrats’) failing is the load-bearing boundary condition. — connects to: Racial minorities support minority candidates more when negational racial identity is salient — Chen-Bo Zhong, Adam D. Galinsky, and Miguel M. Unzueta, Negational racial identity and…, 20; A strategic political identity can unite people across skin-color differences — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2: Identity…, 244; Negational identity can build coalitions across minority groups by de-emphasizing in-group. — Chen-Bo Zhong, Adam D. Galinsky, and Miguel M. Unzueta, Negational racial identity and…, 47
• QUESTION: The mediation through more positive inter-minority attitudes was ‘not conclusive’ — worth chasing the exact measure and why it only partially mediated.

Broader Connections

• Negational identity can build coalitions across minority groups by de-emphasizing in-group. #expands (0.95) — Chen-Bo Zhong, Adam D. Galinsky, and Miguel M. Unzueta, Negational racial identity and…, 47
• A strategic political identity can unite people across skin-color differences #expands (0.78) — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 244