Governance: The Political Science Journal at UNLV
Article Title
Black Political Representation and American Feelings
Keywords
Black politics; African Americans; descriptive representation; stereotypes
File Format
File Size
456 Kb
Abstract
Research on Black stereotypes argue that Black politicians are often labeled or perceived differently from the Black population as a whole. This research has led to questions on whether or not Black politicians can influence the overall perception of Blacks in America. Due to stereotypes leading to prejudicial treatment of certain groups, increases in representation of these groups in respected positions can aid in moving past the negative generalizations and any resultant treatment. By examining the number of Black representatives in America, along with feeling thermometer data from American National Election Studies, I find that there is little correlation between an improvement in feeling thermometer responses as the number of Black representatives increases. I also find that there is a slight relationship between the year and improved feeling thermometer data, however, decreases in feeling thermometer responses were still present even with an increase in Black representation. The results ultimately reveal that more Black representation in politics does not necessarily lead to improved perception of the Black population as a whole.
Recommended Citation
George, Jhanae
(2023)
"Black Political Representation and American Feelings,"
Governance: The Political Science Journal at UNLV: Vol. 7, Article 2.
Available at:
https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/governance-unlv/vol7/iss1/2