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Discord Over DNA: Ideological Responses to Scientific Communication about Genes and Race1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 August 2017

Alexandre Morin-Chassé ,
Elizabeth Suhay  and
Toby E. Jayaratne
Alexandre Morin-Chassé
Affiliation:
Bureau of Institutional Research, University of Montreal
Elizabeth Suhay*
Affiliation:
Department of Government, School of Public Affairs, American University
Toby E. Jayaratne
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, University of Michigan
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Elizabeth Suhay, Assistant Professor, Department of Government, School of Public Affairs, American University, Washington, D.C. E-mail: suhay@american.edu
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Abstract

The American public's beliefs about the causes of social inequality vary greatly, with debates over the causes of racial inequality tending to be the most salient and divisive. Among whites in particular, liberals tend to see inequality as rooted in society's ills, whereas conservatives tend to see inequality as rooted in individuals’ shortcomings. Given this, many infer that white conservatives are more likely than white liberals to adopt the controversial view that racial inequality is “natural,” i.e., due to genetically inherited characteristics. We argue that genetic explanations for racial inequality, in and of themselves, offer little appeal to white conservatives. However, when white citizens are exposed to media messages that emphasize the egalitarian implications of genetic similarity between racial groups, those on the left and right engage in biased assimilation, resulting in a “nature” (conservative) versus “nurture” (liberal) divide. Data from two studies of white Americans—one representative survey and one experiment—support this theoretical framework.

Keywords

racial inequalitygenetic attributionsscience communicationpolitical ideologymotivated cognition
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics , Volume 2 , Issue 2 , September 2017 , pp. 260 - 299
Copyright
Copyright © The Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2017 

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Footnotes

1.

Authors’ Note: The first two authors contributed equally to this article.

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