Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T21:41:42.596Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

28 - Public Attitudes on Implicit Bias

from Section VII - The Public’s (Mis)understanding of Implicit Bias

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 December 2024

By
Yulia Baskakova ,
Gary Langer ,
Jon A. Krosnick  and
Allison De Jong
Edited by
Jon A. Krosnick ,
Tobias H. Stark  and
Amanda L. Scott
Jon A. Krosnick
Affiliation:
Stanford University, California
Tobias H. Stark
Affiliation:
Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Amanda L. Scott
Affiliation:
The Strategy Team, Columbus, Ohio
Get access

Summary

The concept of unconscious bias is firmly entrenched in American society, yet evidence has accumulated in recent years questioning widely accepted claims about the phenomenon, including assertions that it can be measured reliably, influences behavior and is susceptible to intervention. We adopt a two-pronged approach to investigating the state of affairs: First, assessing claims made about unconscious bias in the public sphere; and second, conducting a national public opinion survey – the first of its kind, to the extent we can ascertain – designed to measure public understanding of unconscious bias. Results show that broad majorities of Americans think unconscious biases are prevalent, influence behavior and can be mitigated through training. Confidence in its accurate measurement is lower. The public sees unconscious biases as more prevalent than biases that are consciously held, and as worthy of mitigation efforts by businesses and government. Our chapter assesses these attitudes and understandings and compares them with the state of the science on unconscious bias.

Keywords

implicit biasunconscious biaspublic opinionpublic attitudesprejudiceimplicit bias training
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Implicit Bias and Racism , pp. 715 - 744
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Baker, A. (2018, July 15). Confronting implicit bias in the New York Police Department. The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2024 from: www.nytimes.com/2018/07/15/nyregion/bias-training-police.htmlGoogle Scholar
Bartlett, T. (2017, January 5). Can we really measure implicit bias? Maybe not. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved February 12, 2024 from: www.chronicle.com/article/Can-We-Really-Measure-Implicit/238807Google Scholar
Berman, M. (2016, October 4). Pence suggests implicit bias can’t be involved when a black officer shoots a black man. Washington Post. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2016/live-updates/general-election/real-time-fact-checking-and-analysis-of-the-vice-presidential-debate/pence-suggests-implicit-bias-cant-be-involved-when-a-black-officer-shoots-a-black-man/?utm_term=.ebc930d602d9Google Scholar
Bias Cleanse. (2014). MTV’s Look Different. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: www.lookdifferent.org/what-can-i-do/bias-cleanseGoogle Scholar
Centers for Disease Control. (2024, February 28). National Health Interview Survey. Retrieved February 28, 2024 from: cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/index.htmGoogle Scholar
Chang, A., & Klein, E. (2015, December 7). Take this test to see how partisan you are. Vox. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: www.vox.com/2015/12/7/9828120/partisan-testGoogle Scholar
Close-Up on Implicit Bias. (2019). Eventbrite. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: www.eventbrite.com/e/close-up-on-implicit-bias-tickets-56500366116Google Scholar
Desmond-Harris, J. (2016, August 15). Implicit bias means we’re all probably at least a little bit racist. Vox. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: www.vox.com/2014/12/26/7443979/racism-implicit-racial-biasGoogle Scholar
Diversity at Airbnb. (n.d.) Airbnb. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: https://bias-study.parc.us.comGoogle Scholar
Edmonds, D. (2017, June 5). Implicit bias: Is everyone racist? BBC. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: www.bbc.com/news/magazine-40124781Google Scholar
Edwards, J. (2016, June 28). Justice Dept. mandates ‘implicit bias’ training for agents, lawyers. Reuters. Retrieved February 12, 2024 from: www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-justice-bias-exclusive-idUSKCN0ZD251Google Scholar
eLesson: Unconscious Bias. (2015). Microsoft. Retrieved March 19, 2019 from: www.mslearning.microsoft.com/course/72169/launchGoogle Scholar
Emerson, J. (2017, April 28). Don’t Give Up on Unconscious Bias Training – Make It Better. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved February 12, 2024 from: https://hbr.org/2017/04/dont-give-up-on-unconscious-bias-training-make-it-betterGoogle Scholar
Forscher, P. S., Lai, C. K., Axt, J. R., et al. (2019). A meta-analysis of procedures to change implicit measures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 117(3), 522–559. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000160CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grewal, G. (2018, June 18). Change begins at the top. Today, I’m mandating implicit bias training for all of New Jersey’s prosecutors. Twitter. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: https://mobile.twitter.com/newjerseyag/status/1008760803451981824?s=12Google Scholar
Grinberg, E. (2015, November 25). 4 ways you might be displaying hidden bias in everyday life. CNN. Retrieved February 11, 2020 from: www.cnn.com/2015/11/24/living/implicit-bias-tests-feat/index.htmlGoogle Scholar
Hensch, M. (2016, September 27). Clinton: We must fight ‘implicit bias’. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/297939-clinton-i-think-implicit-bias-is-a-problem-for-everyoneGoogle Scholar
Hidden Injustice: Bias on the Bench. (2016, April 11). American Bar Association. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2016/04/hidden-injustice--bias-on-the-benchGoogle Scholar
Implicit Bias. (n.d.). National Initiative for Building Community Trust & Justice. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: https://trustandjustice.org/resources/intervention/implicit-biasGoogle Scholar
Introduction to Implicit Bias. (2018, January 2). National Implicit Bias Network. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: http://implicitbias.net/implicitbiasGoogle Scholar
James, T. (2017, December 23). Can cops unlearn their unconscious biases? The Atlantic. Retrieved February 12, 2024 from: www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/implicit-bias-training-salt-lake/548996/Google Scholar
Johnson, J. (2016, September 29). Two days after the debate, Trump responds to Clinton’s comment on implicit bias. Washington Post. Retrieved March 18, 2019, from: www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/09/28/two-days-after-the-debate-trump-responds-to-clintons-comment-on-implicit-bias/?utm_term=.9f3287a2e2a5Google Scholar
Kennedy, M. (2016, September 27). Clinton-Trump showdown was the most watched presidential debate ever. Retrieved March 18, 2019, from: www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/27/495692196/clinton-trump-showdown-is-most-watched-presidential-debateGoogle Scholar
Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. (n.d.). Implicit Bias Module Series. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: http://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/implicit-bias-training/Google Scholar
Law Enforcement Trainings. (2019.) Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved February 8, 2019 from: https://bias-study.parc.us.comGoogle Scholar
Managing Unconscious Bias. (2019) Facebook. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: https://managingbias.fb.comGoogle Scholar
Mengel, G. (2018, January 13). Trump, implicit bias, and the dream of racial progress. Huffington Post. Retrieved February 12, 2024 from: www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-implicit-bias-and-t_b_13985442.htmlGoogle Scholar
National Science Foundation. (2005, January 27). Unmasking Bias. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=100297&org=NSFGoogle Scholar
Project Implicit. (n.d). Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/Google Scholar
Project Implicit Lectures and Workshops. (2011). Project Implicit. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: www.projectimplicit.net/lectures.htmlGoogle Scholar
Sahibzada, K. (2016, December 28). How ancient wisdom can help managers give their employees better feedback. The Washington Post. Retrieved February 12, 2024 from: www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/12/28/how-ancient-wisdom-can-help-managers-give-their-employees-better-feedbackGoogle Scholar
Scheiber, N., & Abrams, R. (2018, April 19). Can training eliminate biases? Starbucks will test the thesis. New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: www.nytimes.com/2018/04/18/business/starbucks-racial-bias-training.htmlGoogle Scholar
Singal, J. (2017, December 5). The creators of the Implicit Association Test should get their story straight. New York Magazine. Retrieved February 12, 2024 from: http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/12/iat-behavior-problem.htmlGoogle Scholar
Staats, C. (2015, December 18). Understanding implicit bias. American Federation of Teachers. Retrieved February 12, 2024 from: www.aft.org/ae/winter2015-2016/staatsGoogle Scholar
Staats, C., Capatosto, K., Tenney, L., et al. (2016). State of the science: Implicit bias review 2016 edition. Retrieved from: http://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/implicit-bias-2016.pdfGoogle Scholar
Support Our Efforts to Uncover Hidden Biases. (n.d.). Project Implicit. Retrieved February 10, 2019 from: https://bias-study.parc.us.comGoogle Scholar
Test Yourself for Hidden Bias. (n.d.). Teaching Tolerance. Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: www.tolerance.org/professional-development/test-yourself-for-hidden-biasGoogle Scholar
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc. 576 U.S., 13. (2015). Retrieved February 12, 2024 from: https://web.archive.org/web/20191215185729/https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/13-1371_8m58.pdfGoogle Scholar
Tingley, K. (2013, June 26). The suicide detective. The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved February 12, 2024 from: www.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/magazine/the-suicide-detective.htmlGoogle Scholar
Turner, J. C. (1991). Mapping Social Psychology Series. Social Influence. Pacific Grove, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.Google Scholar
Turner, C. (2016, September 28). Bias isn’t just a police problem, it’s a preschool problem. NPR. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from: www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/09/28/495488716/bias-isnt-just-a-police-problem-its-a-preschool-problemGoogle Scholar
Understanding Bias and Belonging. (n.d.) Airbnb. Retrieved March 18, 2019 from:  https://bias-study.parc.us.comGoogle Scholar
U.S. Census Bureau (2023, October 20). Current Population Survey (CPS). Retrieved February 12, 2024 from: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps.htmlGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×