Perceived threat to White privilege poorly predicts racial policy views.

Evidence

Myrdal believed that self-interest also provided a strong foundation for prejudice and the racial caste system in general. Much research has tested the proposition that political support for the racial status quo is motivated by threats posed by Blacks to White privilege, such as feeling threatened by nearby crime-ridden ghettoes or fearing that family members may lose opportunities because of affirmative action for Blacks. However, such indices of Whites’ self-interests in racial issues generally have only weak political effects, as reflected in weak associations with racially-relevant political preferences or with votes against Black candidates in mixed-race campaigns (Sears & Funk, 1991). — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2174

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the social-capital literature showing status motives and symbolic threats drive behavior more than material self-interest. — connects to: Exposure to information about racial demographic change raises Whites’ status threat and conservatism — Brenda Major and Alison Blodorn and Gregory Major Blascovich, The threat of increasing diversity: Why…, 16; Ethnic identification amplifies white support for anti-immigrant policies under diversity threat cues — Brenda Major and Alison Blodorn and Gregory Major Blascovich, The threat of increasing diversity: Why…, 48; Neoliberalism functions as a response to white status threat. — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race: Reflections on…, 1764 (+1 more)
• QUESTION: What does predict these preferences if objective self-interest doesn’t — symbolic racism scales?