A new study proves the model minority stereotype is alive and well on some American college campuses.
For “Exceptional Outgroup Stereotypes and White Racial Inequality Attitudes Toward Asian Americans,” researchers combed data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshman, which polled students entering the college class of 1999. They used a sample of 898 non-Hispanic whites from 27 elite universities. Per the study: “Arguably, many of these respondents come largely from environments of privilege and will likely have significant influence in many quarters of American society. Knowing their attitudes about race will illuminate our understanding of the attitudes of the future ruling class.” Researchers are from Baylor University, Providence College, University of Southern California, University of Maryland and Rice University.
The work focused on respondent’’ answers to questions about Asian-Americans, Blacks and Latinos, particularly their perceived competence surrounding work ethic, intelligence and perseverance, as well as how easy it is to get along with people in each group. The result: The young White students surveyed felt that Asian-Americans are more competent than Blacks and Latinos. And those who perceived the group as better were also more likely to agree with statements like, “Blacks need to work harder to move up.”