Do Racist Attitudes Predict Colorist Attitudes? An Analysis of the Linkages Between Implicit Biases

Are people who have racist attitudes more likely to have colorist attitudes? Scholars believe that colorism and racism are related. However, little quantitative research explores the connections between the two. In this paper, we use data collected by Project Implicit in 2024 to investigate the link...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
VerfasserInnen: Francis-Tan, Andrew (Verfasst von) ; Chen, Jacqueline M. (Verfasst von)
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: 2025
In: Race and social problems
Jahr: 2025, Band: 18, Heft: 1, Seiten: 1-12
Online-Zugang: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Verfügbarkeit prüfen: HBZ Gateway
Schlagwörter:
Colorism
Implicit associations tests
racial discrimination
Racism
Skin color bias
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Are people who have racist attitudes more likely to have colorist attitudes? Scholars believe that colorism and racism are related. However, little quantitative research explores the connections between the two. In this paper, we use data collected by Project Implicit in 2024 to investigate the linkages between implicit color and racial biases, as measured by the Implicit Associations Test (IAT). We are able to identify IATs that the same participant took before and after the Skin Tone IAT, a measure of bias against darker skin color relative to lighter color among targets of the same race. Linear models are employed to regress a participant’s overall score from the Skin Tone IAT on their scores from the other IATs they took. We find that implicit bias against people with darker skin color is significantly associated with multiple types of implicit bias but is most associated with bias against Black people. The association between implicit color and racial biases is strongest when the Skin Tone IAT’s targets are White and weakest when the targets are Black. Although the relationship does not vary much by participant characteristics or geographic context, it is weaker for younger and Black participants and is stronger for South American participants. Finally, we find that two measures of explicit bias against people with darker skin color are most associated with implicit bias against Black people. All in all, the evidence suggests that implicit color bias is intertwined with implicit racial bias but is conceptually and empirically distinct.
ISSN:1867-1756
DOI:10.1007/s12552-025-09487-5