Thursday, June 08, 2006

In spite of all the noise about white wickedness, they are the best liked race: I looked at the General Social Survey to see how warmly people feel about various ethnic groups. Respondents were given a range of answers between very warm(1) and very cool(9). Here are the results:

Feelings toward blacks
Chinese 3.50
English/Welsh 3.66
Germans 3.69
Irish 3.58
Italians 3.34
Mexicans 3.67
Filipinos 4.38
American Indians 4.09
All white groups 3.64
All other races 3.78

Blacks 1.93

Feelings toward Hispanics
Blacks 3.53
Chinese 3.50
English/Welsh 3.75
Germans 3.73
Irish 3.72
Italians 3.31
American Indians 4.21
All white groups 3.63


Mexicans 2.05

Feelings toward Asians
Blacks 3.61
English/Welsh 3.82
Germans 3.78
Irish 3.78
Italians 3.64
Mexicans 3.48
American Indians 4.33
All groups 3.69

Chinese 2.79

Feelings toward whites
Blacks 3.36
Chinese 3.21
Mexicans 2.77
American Indians 3.49
West Indians 4.00

Whites 2.78

Okay, there is a lot here. I included a variety of larger ethnic groups and other groups if they had a particular dislike for the ethnic group in question. Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians have similar overall scores, indicating that these groups are equally less popular than whites. (I will say that Asians, surprisingly, might be the least liked of the groups). Only one group expressed coolness toward whites--West Indians.

Of all ethnic groups, American Indians liked other groups the least. Blacks and Hispanics liked themselves the most--whites and Chinese liked themselves the least. But more precisely, Chinese rated Asians, not just other Chinese, so it is likely that, while various ethnic groups like whites the best, they like themselves the least. In fact, Mexicans like whites as much as whites like themselves.

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous1:22 PM

    Some of the (relatively) adverse collective self perception might be due to humility (in the case of Chinese) and rivalry (in the case of Whites).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous5:27 PM

    It seems that white guilt|self hate is a real phenomenon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous6:32 PM

    I guess chinese guilt|slef hate is also a real phenomenon.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous3:20 PM

    "It seems that white guilt|self hate is a real phenomenon."

    "Self hate" is a misnomer. Genuine self hatred is hard to sustain. "Self hatred", in contrast, is more threatening. The "self" in "self hatred" is not personal. The hatred is toward one's rivals, not one's self.

    When a Ron Reagan denounces Ronald Reagan, you can be sure he is not denouncing himself.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous1:30 PM

    I'm a little surprised that Asians are rated so cooly (relatively). They have lower crime rates and (seemingly) better manners. Perhaps it is xenophobia, or people are thinking of Iranians and such instead of East Asians, as I am.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous10:49 PM

    "I'm a little surprised that Asians are rated so cooly (relatively)."

    Envy?

    How do Jews rate?

    ReplyDelete

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