Racial Stereotypes,Racial Threat,and Support for Felon Disenfranchisement Among White Americans

Abstract

Applying racial stereotypes and the racial threat framework to felon disenfranchisement support, this study argues white Americans who think Black Americans are more violent will be more supportive of felon disenfranchisement, and that this effect will be largest for white Republicans and white Americans who put greater importance in their racial identity. Analyses of the 2020 American National Election Study finds white Americans who think Black (white) Americans are more violent are more (less) supportive of felon disenfranchisement, with suggestive evidence these effects are more pronounced for white Republicans and white Americans holding greater racial importance. At the same time, the effects of violence stereotypes are consistently substantively small, amounting to less than one half of one level change in disenfranchisement support on a seven-point scale. These effect sizes are on par with partisanship, slightly smaller than other racial attitudes and crime spending preferences, and far outpaced by ideology. Overall, these results suggest racial stereotypes may factor into support for felon disenfranchisement, but these stereotypes are not a driving factor of such support.