EVANSTON, Ill., Sept. 19 (UPI) -- A U.S. study finds improved socioeconomic status among racial and ethnic minorities generally diminishes racial and ethnic group consciousness.
But the study determined African-Americans are more likely than Latinos and Asian-Americans to retain their racial group consciousness regardless of improvements in their economic circumstances because they are more likely to face discrimination in their everyday lives.
Using data from a national survey conducted by the Washington Post, Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University in 2001, the researchers explored how changes in the standard of living of racial and ethnic minorities affected their support for group interests in public policy. They also assessed whether the impact of improvements in economic status on policy preferences depends on the extent to which higher status individuals perceive equal opportunity and experience discrimination.
The study by Dennis Chong and Dukhong Kim of Northwestern University appears in the August issue of the American Political Science Review.
