Full Citation
Title: Racial Inequality and the Fragility of Democracy: How Unequal Citizenship Threatens Democratic Legitimacy
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2022
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Abstract: This paper argues that systemic racial inequalities undermine support for democracy in the United States. Focusing on exposure to information about racial inequalities in the context of a survey experiment, we present causal evidence that support for democracy declines when people are made aware of (or reminded about) systemic inequalities. Then, using observational data we show that negative associations between racial inequality and democratic support are present beyond the context of the survey experiment. We develop and evaluate two theoretical mechanisms linking exposure to systemic inequality and attitudes toward democracy. We find that some respondents see systemic inequality as evidence that democracy is ineffective (poor performance mechanism), while others legitimate the systemic inequalities they encounter and dislike the egalitarian aspirations of democracy (hierarchy enhancement mechanism). Analysis of qualitative data from the survey experiment illuminate these mechanisms at work. Together the findings suggest that dismantling hierarchy could reinvigorate Americans' democratic commitments.
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Authors: Morgan, Jana; Kelly, Nathan J.; Christiani, Leah
Publisher: University of Tennessee
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Other, Race and Ethnicity
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