The Effect of Early Cross-race Socialization on Black Lives Matter Attitudes

Author

Elizabeth Popovich, University of Richmond

Date of Award

4-28-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Jane Berry

Abstract

The present study investigated the effect of early cross-race socialization within the family, school, and neighborhood on current support for Black Lives Matter and anti-racist attitudes. Specifically, this study will examine the variables of whether participants’ families talked about race and the diversity of schools and neighborhoods. 98 female participants, 36 male participants, and 2 n.a. participants were recruited from the University of Richmond’s Introduction to Psychology class (N= 136) and were asked to complete an anonymous survey on their attitudes regarding Black Lives Matter. Based on the results, there was no clear influence of early cross-race socialization on current support for Black Lives Matter. The only significant correlation found was that being raised to not see race correlates with less support for Black Lives Matter. However, there were significant correlations between talking to your family about race and anti-racist attitudes variables. There were no significant effects of early cross-race socialization within schools and the neighborhood on anti-racist attitudes. It is suggested that more research is needed to better understand the impact of early cross-race socialization on BLM and anti-racist attitudes.

Recommended Citation

Popovich, Elizabeth, "The Effect of Early Cross-race Socialization on Black Lives Matter Attitudes" (2022). Honors Theses. 1599.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/1599