Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

The majority of quantitative research on race relations focuses on Whites’ opposition to policies that are designed to help Blacks. The current study looks beyond this White/ Black model of racism and focuses on opposition to bilingual education. It is hypothesized that demographic variables, prejudice against Latinos, and attitudes toward immigration increase opposition to bilingual education. The results support these hypotheses. It is also found that education has a significant positive relationship with opposition to bilingual education. This result was unexpected and needs to be explored in the future. The positive relationship between prejudice against Latinos and opposition to bilingual education suggests that this is a race issue. However, the significance of attitudes toward immigration suggests that anti-Latino prejudice works differently than prejudice against Blacks. Therefore, future research on race relations should focus on all minority groups to gain an inclusive understanding of racial/ethnic inequality.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Agueros, J. (1971). Halfway to Dick and Jane: A Puerto Rican pilgrimage. In T. Wheeler (Ed.), The Immigrant Experience (pp. 85-106). New York: The Dial Press.

Amott, T. , & Matthaei, J. (1996). Race, gender, and work. Boston: South End Press.

Baron, D. (1996). English in a multicultural America. In K. E. Rosenblum & T. -M. C. Travis (Eds.), The meaning of difference (pp. 286-292). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Bobo, L. (1983). Whites’ opposition to busing: Symbolic racism or realistic group conflict? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 1196-1210.

Bobo, L. (1998). Attitudes toward the Black political movement: Trends, meanings, and effects on racial policy preferences. Social Psychology Quarterly, 45, 1196-1210.

Bobo, L. , & Hutchings, V. L. (1996). Perceptions of racial group competition: Extending Blumer’s theory of group position to a multiracial social context. American Sociological Review, 61, 951-972.

Bobo, L. , & Kluegel, J. R. (1993). Opposition to race-targeting: Self-interest, stratification ideology, or racial attitudes? American Sociological Review, 58, 443-464.

Bobo, L. , & Zubrinsky, C. L. (1996). Attitudes of residential integration: Perceived status differences, mere in-group preference, or racial prejudice? Social Forces, 74, 883-909.

Davis, J. A. , & Smith, T. W. (1996). General social surveys, 1972-1996: Cumulative codebook. Chicago: National Opinion Research Center. Available: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/GSS/

10.

de la Garza, R. , Falcon, A. , Garcia, C. , & Garcia, J. (1992). Hispanic Americans in the mainstream of U.S. politics. Public Perspective, 3, 19-22.

11.

Dovidio, J. F. , & Gaertner, S. L. (1986). Prejudice, discrimination, and racism: Historical trends and contemporary approaches. In J. F. Dovidio & S. L. Gaertner (Eds.), Prejudice, Discrimination, and Racism (pp. 1-30). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.

12.

Jackman, M. R. , & Muha, M. J. (1984). Education and intergroup attitudes: Moral enlightenment, superficial democratic commitment, or ideological refinement? American Sociological Review, 49, 751-769.

13.

Jacobson, C. K. (1985). Resistance to affirmative action: Self interest or racism? Journal of Conflict Resolution, 29, 306-329.

14.

Kinder, D. R. , & Sears, D. O. (1981). Prejudice and politics: Symbolic racism versus racial threats to the good life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40, 414-431.

15.

Kluegel, J. R. (1990). Trends in Whites’ explanations of the Black-White gap in socioeconomic status, 1977-1989. American Sociological Review, 55, 512-525.

16.

Kluegel, J. R. , & Smith, E. R. (1986). Beliefs about inequality. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine De Gruyter.

17.

Lipset, S. M. , & Schneider, W. (1978). The Bakke case: How would it be decided at the bar of public opinion? Public Opinion, 1, 38-44.

18.

Martinez, E. (1993). Beyond Black and White: The racisms of our time. Social Forces, 20, 22-33.

19.

Pedraza, S. (1997). Major U.S. legislation regarding immigration. Unpublished manuscript.

20.

Romo, R. (1996). Mexican Americans: Their civic and political incorporation. In S. Pedraza & R. Rumbaut (Eds.), Origins and Destinies (pp. 84-97). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

21.

Schuman, H. , & Bobo, L. (1988). Survey-based experiments on White racial attitudes toward residential integration. American Journal of Sociology, 94, 273-299.

22.

Steeh, C. , & Schuman, H. (1992). Young White adults: Did racial attitudes change in the 1980s? American Journal of Sociology, 98, 340-367.

23.

Stretesky, P. , & Hogan, M. J. (1988). Environmental justice: An analysis of Superfund sites in Florida. Social Problems, 45, 268-287.

24.

U.S. Bureau of the Census . (1999). Statistical abstract of the United States: 1999 (119th ed.). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.

The Effects of Demographic Variables,Ethnic Prejudice,and Attitudes toward Immigration on Opposition to Bilingual Education

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References