How Accusations of Racism Influence Partisanship and Voting Behavior

Previous research describes how individuals might respond toward elected officials who engage in racist appeals, but less is known about the extent to which sharing the partisanship with racially regressive politicians influences an individual’s racial attitudes. To what extent do voters who share the party of candidates accused of racism alter their behavior to demonstrate that they do not hold the same values? Political scientists Christopher Stout and Keith Baker will explore whether accusations of racism against political parties influence the political behavior, policy preferences, and racial attitudes of whites associated with these parties. Using a survey-experiment implemented by YouGov, they will examine whether respondents display more racially progressive attitudes when confronted with claims that their party has displayed racially biased behavior, or whether they disregard claims of racial prejudice when presented with evidence of racial and ethnic diversity within their political party.