Fri 6 Feb, 2009
Stereotypes about blacks and welfare persist
Comments (10) Filed under: Thinking about race, privilege and inequalityTags: Racial inequality, Racial prejudice, Racial stereotypes, Welfare
A new study suggests that even in the aftermath of the welfare reform of the 1990s and the resulting disappearance of welfare as a hot-button political issue tied to race, attitudes of white Americans towards welfare are still heavily influenced by negative stereotypes about blacks.
It is well known that racial prejudice and stereotypes among white Americans, while usually less blatant than in the past, still persist. For instance, nearly a third of whites will agree with the statement that most blacks are lazy, and about half say that they believe racial inequality is caused by the failure of blacks to work as hard as whites.
As one consequence of this prejudice, it has long been recognized in political science, and in conventional wisdom, that many white Americans tend to think of blacks when they think of welfare, and that negative attitudes towards blacks (especially stereotypes about work ethics) in turn shape the attitudes of those Americans towards welfare policies.
This racialization of welfare has been tied to the portrayal of the poor, and of welfare recipients in particular, as black citizens by both politicians and the media. As a result, prejudice towards blacks has been shown to be a significant predictor of opposition among whites to welfare spending, and a primary reason why voters are much less likely to support “welfare” than they are other forms of government assistance, including “aid to the poor.”
Since the 1990s, however, welfare reform has caused the portrayal of welfare and welfare recipients by politicians and the media to improve significantly. Politicians are much more likely to describe welfare as a successful system which provides a social safety net while moving citizens into productive jobs. The public has more positive views of welfare, and the issue has largely disappeared from the media or been framed in more positive ways.
This new paper produces evidence that in this changed information environment, in which welfare recipients are portrayed in ways contrary to negative stereotypes about blacks, negative attitudes about blacks continue to affect white opposition to welfare spending as strongly as before.
The disturbing implication drawn by the authors is that stereotypes about welfare recipients and about black work ethics are durable, and as a result, the racialization of the issue of welfare spending has become durable, as well, long after such stereotypes cease to be reinforced in the public arena.
This paper was authored by political scientists Joshua J. Dyck of SUNY-Buffalo and Laura S. Hussey of the University of Maryland and published as “The End of Welfare as we Know It? Durable Attitudes in a Changing Information Environment” (Public Opinion Quarterly, Winter 2008).
Black Americans and crime | The Living Consequences says:
[...] The idea that black criminals are preying on white victims is a persistent myth in our country, not unlike the mistaken belief that welfare recipients are overwhelmingly black. [...]
Welfare, unwed mothers, and absent fathers | The Living Consequences says:
[...] have previously posted about the persistent myth that most welfare recipients in this country are black. It is true, of course, that black families are disproportionately represented on the welfare [...]
Jon says:
People like to say more whites are on welfare but fail to admit that whites make up 75% of the population compared to 12 % for blacks. This fact makes blacks 4 times more likely to be on the dole.
James says:
Actually, Jon, anyone who spends any time thinking about welfare acknowledges this fact, as I do in another post: “It is true, of course, that black families are disproportionately represented on the welfare rolls.”
The important question is: why? Why are blacks more likely to be “on the dole,” as you put it?
The overwhelming factor, of course, is that blacks in this country are disproportionately poor.
This disturbing fact is, in turn, primarily a consequence of our nation’s history of slavery and brutal racial discrimination. Many people like to say that blacks are more likely to be on public assistance, but fail to admit that this history is the major cause.
Thomas says:
excellent
Bella says:
I am doing a research project on African American racism and tis is so sad and disturbing to see!!1 Many people don’t know the hardships they went through to be respected today!!!
Having and Giving in Ghana « the ones who are mad to live says:
[...] women on welfare far outnumber blacks without bearing the same stereotypes. (Read more on this here.) I would hope that one might recognize the racial reasoning behind such [...]
Shotei says:
James how long are you going to blame slavery for everything? Blacks have had everything handed to them for so long now that they do not respect properity or anything other people have worked hard to get. Is there a white getto? How about a white harlem? I’m tired of hearing ” oh he came from a bad neighborhood” Bull, why was it bad? Because no one took care of thier own section of it. It doesn’t cost much to pick up trash in the front yard or mow the grass. or to be respectful of others.
James says:
Shotei, thanks for posting, and you raise a vital issue:
Have our black families had the opportunity by now to recover from the experience of slavery? If so, then it’s time to stop focusing on slavery as an issue for the present day. If not, then we need to finally take our history more seriously. Either way, it’s time for people to learn the truth so that we can come together around appropriate, constructive solutions to our racial problems.
In a nutshell, Shotei, black families have never been able to recover from slavery. For a full century following abolition in 1865, blacks were treated to horrendous, blatant discrimination, both official and unofficial, tangible and intangible, violent and non-violent. During that same century, white families in this country benefited from vast federal programs which largely built the white middle class through financing for education, job training, home ownership, and small businesses.
In the relatively few years since the successes of the civil rights movement, we have made modest progress in closing the racial gap in this country. However, by any objective measure–for instance, income, education, home ownership or financial resources–only part of the gap which existed in 1865 has been closed, and much still remains to be done.
We can trace racial inequality in this country, year by year, from the end of slavery to today. It isn’t all about slavery, since the Jim Crow century played a vital part, too. But this simply isn’t a problem which magically appeared after the end of official discrimination in the 1960s and 1970s. It existed long before, and therefore has its roots in older history.
Blacks have had everything handed to them for so long now that they do not respect properity or anything other people have worked hard to get.
Shotei, I’ll ignore your stereotyped view that people of a particular race don’t work hard. And I’ll ignore your comment about “properity,” since I’m honestly not sure what you meant to say there.
However, the idea that “blacks have had everything handed to them for so long now” is patent nonsense.
I’m not even sure what you mean by that comment. Do you think, for instance, that programs like affirmative action have given blacks unearned advantages over whites? Or that welfare has benefited blacks more than whites? These are programs which have mostly benefited non-blacks, and have hardly made a dent in racial inequality, much less over-compensated for the relative disadvantage blacks suffer, on average, at the outset in this country.
Is there a white getto?
There certainly are, Shotei. (I hope you’re aware that the word “ghetto” isn’t specific to black neighborhoods, and in fact originally referred to a particular white community.)
Now, if you’re saying that there are problems distinctive to some black neighborhoods in this country, you’re right. Why is that? Generations of poverty and racial discrimination help to account for much of that; anyone can see that the end of official discrimination in the 1960s and 1970s didn’t magically transform those neighborhoods into one with generations of first-class public investment.
why was it bad? Because no one took care of thier own section of it.
That’s not true, Shotei. This is about a lack of public investment in “minority” neighborhoods, going back many generations. This is about the consequences of poverty, which can be seen in any poor urban neighborhood, regardless of race.
It doesn’t cost much to pick up trash in the front yard or mow the grass ….
Do you really think that the problems of race, the ones being blamed on our long history of slavery and discrimination, can be illustrated by homes with grass that isn’t mowed often enough?
Dave says:
I’ld like to see more honesty. I think the gov is making slaves out of the poor populations. The poor are purchased with entitlements along with there votes. They are taught nothing they are kept down by government. The $$$ that goes to the poor does not give a prophit & does not benefit society. The middle class is the primary work-force the government steals form the middle class & upper class and gives it to the poor. & the rich. Unfortunately a disproportionate ### of blacks end up on the gov payroll. Little do they know they are continuing the cycle established some 4 centuries ago that made this country great & shameful all at once —slavery… We need to call affirmitive action what it is reparations —be honest.
Also be honest there is a disproportionate amount of black crime.
There are a lot of lazy whites and blacks out there should they be rewarded for “Poor Performance” as we reward executives at AIG & Lehmann brothers.
Sometimes people need help through a rough-spot but if you are taking more from this country than you have contributed you need to be set-free to fend for yourself or die trying. Have some pride. Whether it’s black or white who cares…