Identities and Racial Attitudes of South African and American Adolescents: A Cross-Cultural Examination

Abstract

Issues of group identity and prejudice have played a large role in the history of South Africa. In this study the authors examined differences among Xhosa-speaking black, so-called coloured, English-speaking white, and Afrikaans-speaking white adolescents within a context of social change. Data was collected from 818 high school students using a questionnaire that assessed aspects of these groups' perceptions of themselves (their identities), attitudes toward other racial groups (their prejudices), and beliefs about changes in the socio-political environment. Several statistically significant differences between the groups were found. Comparative analyses on identity and attitude variables performed with 263 white American adolescents were also statistically significant for all groups.