White Americans largely failed to endorse collective guilt as of 1972

Evidence

We are aware of only one study that has examined endorsement of White guilt. Bardis (1972) found very little endorsement of feelings of guilt in his sample of White Americans at a Midwestern university and concluded that “deep guilt feelings” are virtually nonexistent. — Janet K. Swim and Deborah L. Miller, White Guilt, 25

Categorization

• XREF: Today’s piece is, in effect, a replication attempt of Bardis (1972); directly relevant to the formation’s empirical question. — connects to: White Americans show little support for slavery reparations — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 79; White guilt scores skew low and most Whites deny feeling guilty — Janet K. Swim and Deborah L. Miller, White Guilt: Its Antecedents and…, 53; A third of White respondents reject feeling any collective racial guilt. — Janet K. Swim and Deborah L. Miller, White Guilt: Its Antecedents and…, 98
• QUESTION: What changed between 1972 and this 1999 study to alter guilt endorsement—awareness of privilege, or shifts in social desirability?

Broader Connections

• White guilt scores skew low and most Whites deny feeling guilty #corroborates (0.95) — Janet K. Swim and Deborah L. Miller, White Guilt, 53