Hate Speech Is in the Eye of the Beholder: The Influence of Racial Attitudes and Freedom of Speech Beliefs on Perceptions of Racially Motivated Threats of Violence

Abstract

The present research investigated how levels of anti-Black prejudice may influence differential perceived free-speech protections (FSPs) for hurtful acts targeting Black or White people. Because hate crime designation (HCD) requires evidence of a prejudice-motivated intention to harm individuals, we investigated how anti-Black prejudice and race of the target interact to influence HCD for the act and how greater perceived FSPs may predict less willingness to label the act a hate crime. Across two studies, anti-Black bias was associated with more perceived FSPs for Black-targeted acts, which predicted less HCD. Low anti-Black prejudice participants viewed Black- versus White-targeted acts as less protected by free-speech rights and more likely to be a hate crime. In Study 1 (but not Study 2), high anti-Black prejudice participants displayed the opposite pattern. This work holds implications for theories of motivated justification and psychological understanding of public discourse regarding free speech.