Does ethnoracial context diversity predict implicit associations of sexual orientation? Evidence from linked Census Bureau and Implicit Association Test data

Abstract

We examined whether exposure to context diversity in one domain relates to mental associations in another social domain. County-level metrics of racial diversity and segregation computed from restricted-use U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data were linked to a geolocated measure of sexual orientation implicit bias from over 825,000 respondents across the United States (2015–2021). Multilevel models revealed that living in more racially diverse counties was related to less stereotypic implicit associations of sexual orientation, and this relationship was moderated by racial segregation. This primary result was evaluated through a series of robustness checks. Weighted models accounting for the nonrepresentative nature of the sample revealed a robust association with diversity but not an interaction with segregation. The negative relationship with diversity was also replicated on a different Implicit Association Test (IAT) measuring implicit attitudes to disability, but the interaction with segregation was again insignificant. These results support the hypothesis that exposure to social diversity in one domain can generalize to intergroup attitudes in another domain. These results also highlight the dynamic interaction between an individual and their social environment, bolstering the need for socially contextualized research on human cognition.