No difference between white managers and liberals in warmth toward blacks

Liberals claim that blacks average lower incomes than whites because whites do the hiring, and all too many of them are racists. What we need, they say, is enlightened people (i.e., them) to do the hiring.

In the last post, I used General Social Survey (GSS) data to show that white police officers do not differ from other whites in their feelings toward blacks. Let's use the same question to see if there is a significant difference between white managers and white liberals. Respondents were asked,"In general, how warm or cool do you feel towards African Americans?" Answers ranged from "very warm" (1) to "very cool" (9). There were 232 managers and 266 liberals in the sample.

The mean score for managers is 3.55; for libs, it's 3.46. The difference is not statistically significant, meaning that we have little confidence that the difference in the estimates is anything more than noise. 

Are white cops racists?

Most blacks and many whites assume that white cops are racists.

The General Social Survey asked the following question: "In general, how warm or cool do you feel towards African Americans?" Answers ranged from "very warm" (1) to "very cool" (9). There were only 13 white officers in the sample (and 2,080 other whites). The mean for the police is 3.62, and it's 3.65 for all other whites. No significant difference.

White officers do not differ from other whites in their attitudes towards blacks.

Science at its finest

According to a popular textbook on race and ethnicity by Joseph F. Healey, 62% of white Americans are racists, meaning people who harbor hostile feelings toward minority groups. He concludes this based on General Social Survey (GSS) data which indicate that 50% of whites believe that blacks are poorer than other groups because they are not trying hard enough, plus the 12% who feel that blacks are less intelligent. The latter answer is a measure of traditional racism, while the former is the modern, covert type. Both are ways that whites express the hostility they have for minorities.

It's strange that these race scholars choose the "reason for poverty" question as a measure of hostility. Why not use the GSS question that actually inquires abouts one's feelings?

GSS respondents were asked, "In general, how warm or cool do you feel towards African Americans?" Answer-choices range from "very warm" (1) to "very cool" (9).  

The problem with this question is that only 1.2% of whites answered "very cool." That's not nearly enough white racists to warrant calling America a racist country. Well, maybe a 7 or 8 indicates a dislike of blacks too. 2.1% gave a 7 and 0.6% gave an 8, giving a grand total of 3.9%. Heck, let's be generous and say those who gave a middle-of-the-road six are haters too. Add 3% to 3.9%, and you're still left with an uninspiring 6.9% of whites being bigots.  

I can see why sociologists stick with the "reasons for poverty" question. Because they're impartial scientists, I mean.