Symbolic racism theory is accused of merely relabeling conservatism

Evidence

Five major criticisms have been leveled against symbolic racism theory: (a) symbolic racism is simply “old wine in a new bottle,” (b) in terms of measurement and conceptualization, symbolic racism captures a hodgepodge of heterogeneous beliefs rather than a coherent, homogenous single dimension, (c) symbolic racism is just another name for political conservatism, (d) symbolic racism simply refers to a variant of authoritarianism, and (e) the strong relationship that has been observed between symbolic racism and opposition to racial policies such as affirmative action is due to conceptual overlap between the measurement of symbolic racism and the racial policy attitudes that it is meant to predict. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2630

Categorization

• XREF: The fifth criticism mirrors the circularity-instrument-vs-outcome critique familiar from social desirability and implicit bias measures. — connects to: Symbolic racism scales measure a distinct attitude rather than mere conservatism — Christopher Tarman and David O. Sears, The Conceptualization and Measurement…, 192