Liberal researchers sometimes use opposition to racial preferences as a measure of anti-black racism. Is it a valid proxy?
The GSS asked respondents how close they feel to blacks on a scale from 1 to 9 and the extent to which the respondent supports racial preferences for blacks in hiring and promotions (1=strongly oppose, 4= strongly support). The correlation is a whopping .10--a trivial relationship (sample size = 3,577, whites only). Attitudes toward racial preferences among whites is a completely invalid proxy measure of racism.
Are gun owners mentally ill?
Some anti-gun people think owning a gun is a sign of some kind of mental abnormality. According to General Social Survey data, gun owners ...
How good a proxy is the answer on a question of how close they feel? Racism is one of the big P.C no-nos so we wouldn't expect answers on a survey to be completely honest (though the rank-ordering might tell us something). On the other hand, the Implicit Association Test may be bogus as well.
ReplyDeleteWell a lot of the people who feel close to blacks, are probably those in the same socioeconomic class and having daily interaction. How close to blacks can you feel when you grow up in the Hamptons?
ReplyDeleteOf course those who are in the same socioeconomic class are probably competing with them for jobs, and hence would oppose racial hiring preferences. Not many hedge fund analysts are displaced by AA hires.