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Cited by 283Misinformation and Its ImpactsSocial and Intergroup PsychologyRacial and Ethnic Identity Research

Belief in U.S. Government Conspiracies Against Blacks among Black and White College Students: Powerlessness or System Blame?

Crocker, Jennifer, Luhtanen, Riia, Broadnax, Stephanie, Blaine, Bruce Evan·1999·Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
DOI 10.1177/01461672992511003
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Abstract

Black Americans are far more likely than White Americans to endorse theories about conspiracies by the U.S. government against Blacks. The present study explored the predictors of these conspiracy beliefs for 91 Black and 96 White college students. Two explanations for belief in these conspiracies were considered, one focusing on political powerless and externality of attributions and the other focusing on system blame for Blacks’ disadvantaged status. Regression analyses supported the view that belief in these conspiracy theories is related to blaming problems of Black Americans on prejudice and discrimination. Race was a powerful predictor of belief in these conspiracies even when socioeconomic status was controlled. Furthermore, the race effect was partially mediated by the system blame measure but not by political powerlessness or greater externality of attributional style. System blame was a much stronger predictor of conspiracy beliefs for Black than for White students. Conspiracy beliefs were positively associated with the racial self-esteem of Black students and negatively for White students. Clinical implications and implications for intergroup relations are discussed.

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Crossref · 10.1177/01461672992511003

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41 of 41 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Members of groups who have objectively low status because of their ethnicity are more likely to endorse conspiracy theories than members of high-status groups.

    “Members of groups who have objectively low (vs. high) status because of their ethnicity (Crocker, Luhtanen, Broadnax, & Blaine, 1999) or income (Uscinski & Parent, 2014) are more likely to endorse conspiracy theories.”

    From The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories (2017) · cites this paper as Crocker, Luhtanen, Broadnax, & Blaine, 1999

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. DeParle, J., 1990, New York Times, B7
  2. DeParle, J., 1991, The New York Times, E 5
  3. Katz, I., 1981, Stigma: A social-psychological perspective
  4. Steele, S., 1990, The content of our character, 127
  5. Steele, C. M., 1992, The Atlantic, 269, 68

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Related

Authors
Crocker, J., Luhtanen, R., Broadnax, S., & Blaine, B. E.
Affiliations
  • University of Michigan (US)
  • University at Buffalo, State University of New York (US)
  • Hofstra University (US)
Corresponding author
Crocker, Jennifer
ORCID
Crocker, Jennifer
Venue
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
1999-08
Volume
25
Issue
8
Pages
941-953
ISSN
  • 0146-1672 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-7433
DOI
10.1177/01461672992511003
OpenAlex
W2098726774
Semantic Scholar
2be566a63b67b25bb96c5a28b5ba5fc70cb4cfbd
Cited by
283
References
38
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 47 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 7
FWCI
21.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
Keywords
conspiracy beliefs, racial prejudice, political impotence, attributional style, racial differences, African American college students, White college students, intergroup relations, socioeconomic status

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