RT Article
T1 Predictors of Sociopolitical Involvement Among White Young Adults During the Covid-19 Pandemic
JF Race and social problems
VO 17
IS 4
SP 597
OP 612
A1 Woolverton, G. Alice
A1 Satterthwaite-Freiman, Megan
A1 Rastogi, Ritika
A1 Keum, Brian TaeHyuk
A1 Hahm, Hyeouk Chris
A1 Liu, Cindy H.
A2 Satterthwaite-Freiman, Megan
A2 Rastogi, Ritika
A2 Keum, Brian TaeHyuk
A2 Hahm, Hyeouk Chris
A2 Liu, Cindy H.
LA English
YR 2025
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1942604963
AB During the COVID-19 pandemic, a high number of White young American adults engaged in sociopolitical action. Research has primarily investigated why individuals with marginalized identities engage in sociopolitical activities. Guided by relevant theories and prior empirical findings, this study tested whether sociodemographic factors, attitudes, current event factors, and psychological experiences were associated with sociopolitical involvement among White young adults in 2020-2021. Analyses used survey data of a young adult White non-Latine sample (N = 359, Mage = 24.94 years, 87.9% women) collected during 2020-2021. Sociopolitical involvement, sociodemographic variables (gender, sexual orientation), attitudes (color-evasive racial ideology, political views), current event factors (witnessing racial discrimination, COVID-19-related worry, and the impact of the social climate on wellbeing), and psychological experiences (loneliness and distress tolerance) were measured. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis identified correlates of sociopolitical involvement. Lower color-evasive racial attitudes, liberal political leaning, witnessing racial discrimination during the pandemic, reporting that the current social climate impacted one’s wellbeing, having higher distress tolerance, and identifying as a sexual or gender minority were associated with significantly higher levels of sociopolitical involvement. We contribute novel evidence about predictors of sociopolitical involvement during the COVID-19 pandemic in White young adults. Attitudes (color-evasive racial ideology and political views) and current event factors (witnessing racial discrimination during the pandemic and reporting that the social climate had a large impact on wellbeing) showed the largest standardized effects on sociopolitical involvement. Future research should identify factors that promote long-term anti-oppressive actions in White individuals and those with different privileged identities (e.g., cisgender men).
K1 Anti-oppression
K1 Sociopolitical involvement
K1 White racial identity development
K1 Whiteness studies
DO 10.1007/s12552-025-09462-0