A series of studies including 1,377 White and Black Americans from the top and bottom of the national income distribution reports that study participants generally overestimated society's progress toward racial economic equality, and that the accuracy with which White Americans estimated Black-White economic equality increased if participants were primed to imagine a United States where race-based discrimination existed, compared with when participants were not primed, suggesting the existence of unfounded optimism regarding societal race-based economic equality in American society.
Article #17-07719: "Americans misperceive racial economic equality," by Michael W. Kraus, Julian M. Rucker, and Jennifer A. Richeson.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jennifer A. Richeson, Yale University, New Haven, CT; tel: 203-432-6686; e-mail: <jennifer.richeson@yale.edu>; Michael Kraus, Yale University, New Haven, CT; e-mail: <michael.kraus@yale.edu>
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