Award Date

12-1-2021

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

First Committee Member

Jennifer Rennels

Second Committee Member

Erin Hannon

Third Committee Member

Rachael Robnett

Fourth Committee Member

Tanachai Mark Padoongpatt

Number of Pages

96

Abstract

The resurgence of social movements such as Black Lives Matter has provoked public discourse about racial inequality and efforts towards social change. The current study sought to better understand how young adults reason about racism reduction with a focus on racial allyship and collective action. The present study used mixed methods to identify strategies young adults believe different racial groups could do to reduce racism and investigate the influence that individual factors have on reasoning about social change. Here, I present emergent themes to describe racism reduction strategies from a large and racially diverse sample of undergraduate students (N= 428). Quantitative findings from this study replicate results from previous research, which showed a negative association between cross-race friendships and prejudicial attitudes towards racial outgroups. Greater cross-race friendships were also associated with higher levels of perceived discrimination and liberalism (sociopolitical beliefs). This study was also the first to use racial attitudes, sociopolitical beliefs, and cross-race friendships to predict narrated themes about racism reduction. Implications for fostering greater racial allyship and collective action among individuals from varying social groups are discussed.

Keywords

Collective action; Cross-race friendships; Mixed methods; Qualitative themes; Racial allyship; Racial prejudice

Disciplines

Psychology | Social Psychology | Sociology

File Format

pdf

File Size

618 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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