Hostname: page-component-686fd747b7-hzbls Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-13T13:58:16.421Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Americans' Belief in Linked Fate: Does the Measure Capture the Concept?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2016

Claudine Gay ,
Jennifer Hochschild  and
Ariel White
Claudine Gay*
Affiliation:
Department of Government, Harvard University
Jennifer Hochschild
Affiliation:
Department of Government, Harvard University
Ariel White
Affiliation:
Department of Government, Harvard University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Claudine Gay, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

For decades, scholars have attributed Black Americans' unified political and policy views, despite growing internal class and status differences, to a strong perception of linked fate. In recent years, the concept has been measured in other racial and ethnic groups and with regard to gender, but not applied to social statuses such as class or religion. Without broad comparisons across groups and different statuses, however, one cannot determine the appropriate empirical test or most distinctive correlates of this canonical construct. Using a new national survey, we examine Americans' views of linked fate by race or ethnicity, and also by gender, class, or religion. We find expressions of linked fate to be similar across racial or ethnic groups, robust to experimental manipulation, and as strong for class as for racial or ethnic identity. Intra-individual correlations on linked fate items are very high, while a sense of linked fate is rarely associated with political views or political participation. Expressions of linked fate are not always closely related to feelings of closeness to one's group or perceptions of discrimination against that group. We speculate on the broader meaning of responses to this standard item, and conclude that the enormously fruitful theory of racial linked fate is due for further conceptual development and empirical experimentation.

Keywords

linked fateidentityraceethnicitygenderreligionclasssurveymeasurement
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics , Volume 1 , Issue 1 , March 2016 , pp. 117 - 144
Copyright
Copyright © The Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2016 

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

REFERENCES

Barreto, Matt, and Bozonelos, Dino. 2009. “Democrat, Republican, or None of the Above? The Role of Religiosity in Muslim American Party Identification.” Politics and Religion 2 (2): 200–29.Google Scholar
Barreto, Matt, Masuoka, Natalie, and Sanchez, Gabriel. 2008. “Religiosity, Discrimination, and Group Identity among Muslim Americans.” Annual Meeting of the Western Political Science Association.Google Scholar
Berinsky, Adam, Huber, Gregory A., and Lenz, Gabriel S.. 2012. “Evaluating Online Labor Markets for Experimental Research: Amazon.com's Mechanical Turk.” Political Analysis 20 (3): 351–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Block, Ray. 2011. “What About Disillusionment? Exploring the Pathways to Black Nationalism.” Political Behavior 33 (1): 27–51.Google Scholar
Bobo, Lawrence, Johnson, James, Oliver, Melvin, Farley, Reynolds, Bluestone, Barry, Browne, Irene, Danziger, Sheldon, Green, Gary, Holzer, Harry, Krysan, Maria, Massagli, Michael, and Charles, Camille Zubrinsky. 2000. Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality, 1992–1994: [Household Survey Data] [Computer File]. 3rd ICPSR Version. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan, Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research.Google Scholar
Brown, Robert, and Shaw, Todd. 2002. “Separate Nations: Two Attitudinal Dimensions of Black Nationalism.” Journal of Politics 64 (1): 22–44.Google Scholar
Burnside, Randolph, and Rodriguez, Antonio. 2009. “Up Close and Personal: The Effect of Interracial Marriage on Latino Link-Fate.” Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL.Google Scholar
Chen, Rou-Lan. 2012. “Beyond National Identity in Taiwan: A Multidimensional and Evolutionary Conceptualization.” Asian Survey 52 (5): 845–71.Google Scholar
Chong, Dennis, and Kim, Dukhong. 2006. “The Experiences and Effects of Economic Status among Racial and Ethnic Minorities.” American Political Science Review 100 (3): 335–51.Google Scholar
Chong, Dennis, and Rogers, Reuel. 2004. “Reviving Group Consciousness.” In The Politics of Democratic Inclusion, eds. Wolbrecht, Christina and Hero, Rodney. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 45–74.Google Scholar
Davis, Darren, and Brown, Ronald. 2002. “The Antipathy of Black Nationalism: Behavioral and Attitudinal Implications of an African American Ideology.” American Journal of Political Science 46 (2): 239–52.Google Scholar
Davis, Jessica, and Gandy, Oscar Jr. 1999. “Racial Identity and Media Orientation: Exploring the Nature of Constraint.” Journal of Black Studies 29 (3): 367–97.Google Scholar
Dawson, Michael. 1994. Behind the Mule: Race and Class in African-American Politics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Dawson, Michael. 2001. Black Visions: The Roots of Contemporary African-American Political Ideologies. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Dovi, Suzanne. 2002. “Preferable Descriptive Representatives: Will Just Any Woman, Black, or Latino Do?” American Political Science Review 96 (4): 729–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forman, James Jr. 2011. “The Black Poor, Black Elites, and America's Prisons.” Cardozo Law Review 32 (3): 791–806.Google Scholar
Gandy, Oscar. 2001. “Racial Identity, Media Use, and the Social Construction of Risk among African Americans.” Journal of Black Studies 31 (5): 600–18.Google Scholar
Gay, Claudine. 2004. “Putting Race in Context: Identifying the Environmental Determinants of Black Racial Attitudes.” American Political Science Review 98 (4): 547–62.Google Scholar
Gay, Claudine, and Tate, Katherine. 1998. “Doubly Bound: The Impact of Gender and Race on the Politics of Black Women.” Political Psychology 19 (1): 169–84.Google Scholar
Hajnal, Zoltan. 2007. “Black Class Exceptionalism: Insights from Direct Democracy on the Race Versus Class Debate.” Public Opinion Quarterly 71 (4): 560–87.Google Scholar
Harris, Fredrick, and Langer, Gary. 2008. Survey on Race, Politics, and Society. New York: Center on African-American Politics and Society, Columbia University, and The ABC Polling Unit.Google Scholar
Harris-Lacewell, Melissa, and Junn, Jane. 2007. “Old Friends and New Alliances: How the 2004 Illinois Senate Race Complicates the Study of Race and Religion.” Journal of Black Studies 38 (1): 30–50.Google Scholar
Haynes, Chris, and Skulley, Carrie (n.d. [c. 2012]). Linked Fate and the Inter-Ethnic Differences among Asian Americans. Riverside, CA: University of California, Riverside: Department of Political Science.Google Scholar
Herring, Mary, Jankowski, Thomas, and Brown, Ronald. 1999. “Pro-Black Doesn't Mean Anti-White: The Structure of African-American Group Identity.” Journal of Politics 61 (2): 363–86.Google Scholar
Hochschild, Jennifer, and Weaver, Vesla. 2007. “The Skin Color Paradox and the American Racial Order.” Social Forces 86 (2): 643–70.Google Scholar
Hoston, William. 2009. “Black Solidarity and Racial Context: An Exploration of the Role of Black Solidarity in U.S. Cities.” Journal of Black Studies 39 (5): 719–31.Google Scholar
Howell, Susan, and Perry, Huey. 2004. “Black Mayors/White Mayors: Explaining Their Approval.” Public Opinion Quarterly 68 (1): 32–56.Google Scholar
Howell, Susan, Perry, Huey, and Vile, Matthew. 2004. “Black Cities/White Cities: Evaluating the Police.” Political Behavior 26 (1): 45–68.Google Scholar
Huff, Connor, and Tingley, Dustin. 2015. “‘Who Are These People?’: Evaluating the Demographic Characteristics and Political Preferences of MTurk Survey Respondents.” Research and Politics, July-September (1): 1–12.Google Scholar
Hutchings, Vincent, Wong, Cara, Brown, Ronald, Jackson, James, and Faison, Nakesha. 2005. The National Ethnic Politics Study (NEPS): Ethnic Pluralism & Politics in the 21st Century. Miami Beach, FL: American Association of Public Opinion Research, May 12.Google Scholar
Junn, Jane, and Masuoka, Natalie. 2008. “Asian American Identity: Shared Racial Status and Political Context.” Perspectives on Politics 6 (4): 729–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, Claire, and Lee, Taeku. 2001. “Interracial Politics: Asian Americans and Other Communities of Color.” PS: Political Science and Politics 34 (3): 631–37.Google Scholar
Krysan, Maria, and Farley, Reynolds. 2002. “The Residential Preferences of Blacks: Do They Explain Persistent Segregation?” Social Forces 80 (3): 937–80.Google Scholar
Lau, Richard, and Redlawsk, David. 2001. “Advantages and Disadvantages of Cognitive Heuristics in Political Decision Making.” American Journal of Political Science 45 (4): 951–71.Google Scholar
Lien, Pei-te, Conway, M. Margaret, and Wong, Janelle. 2004. The Politics of Asian Americans: Diversity and Community. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Manzano, Sylvia, and Sanchez, Gabriel. 2010. “Take One for the Team? The Limits of Shared Ethnicity and Candidate Preferences.” Political Research Quarterly 63 (3): 568–80.Google Scholar
Masuoka, Natalie. 2006. “Together They Become One: Examining the Predictors of Panethnic Group Consciousness among Asian Americans and Latinos.” Social Science Quarterly 87 (Supplement): 993–1011.Google Scholar
McClain, Paula, Carter, Niambi, Soto, Victoria DeFrancesco, Lyle, Monique, Grynaviski, Jeffrey, Nunnally, Shayla, Scotto, Thomas, Kendrick, J. Alan, Lackey, Gerald, and Cotton, Kendra Davenport 2006. “Racial Distancing in a Southern City: Latino Immigrants’ Views of Black Americans.” Journal of Politics 68 (3): 571–84.Google Scholar
McClain, Paula, Carew, Jessica Johnson, Walton, Eugene Jr., and Watts, Candis. 2009. “Group Membership, Group Identity, and Group Consciousness: Measures of Racial Identity in American Politics?” Annual Review of Political Science 12: 471–85.Google Scholar
McClain, Paula, and Stewart, Joseph Jr. 2013. Can We All Get Along? Racial and Ethnic Minorities in American Politics. 6th ed. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.Google Scholar
McConnaughy, Corrine, White, Ismail, Leal, David, and Casellas, Jason. 2010. “A Latino on the Ballot: Explaining Coethnic Voting among Latinos and the Response of White Americans.” Journal of Politics 72 (4): 1199–211.Google Scholar
Meares, Tracey. 1998. “Social Organization and Drug Law Enforcement.” American Criminal Law Review 35: 191–226.Google Scholar
Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. 2007. Racial Attitudes in America. http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/pdf/Race.pdf.Google Scholar
Pew Research Center, and National Public Radio. 2009. Social Trends: Racial Attitudes in America Survey. Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Philpot, Tasha, Shaw, Daron, and McGowen, Ernest. 2009. “Winning the Race: Black Voter Turnout in the 2008 Presidential Election.” Public Opinion Quarterly 73 (5): 995–1022.Google Scholar
Popkin, Samuel. 1993. “Information Shortcuts and the Reasoning Voter.” In Information, Participation, and Choice, ed. Grofman, Bernard. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 17–35.Google Scholar
Price, Melanye. 2009. Dreaming Blackness: Black Nationalism and African American Public Opinion. New York: NYU Press.Google Scholar
Reese, Laura, and Brown, Ronald. 1995. “The Effects of Religious Messages on Racial Identity and System Blame among African Americans.” Journal of Politics 57 (1): 24–43.Google Scholar
Sanchez, Gabriel. 2006. “The Role of Group Consciousness in Political Participation among Latinos in the United States.” American Politics Research 34 (4): 427–50.Google Scholar
Sanchez, Gabriel, and Masuoka, Natalie. 2010. “Brown-Utility Heuristic? The Presence and Contributing Factors of Latino Linked Fate.” Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 32 (4): 519–31.Google Scholar
Sawyer, Mark, Peña, Yesilernis, and Sidanius, Jim. 2004. “Cuban Exceptionalism: Group-Based Hierarchy and the Dynamics of Patriotism in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba.” Du Bois Review 1 (1): 93–113.Google Scholar
Schildkraut, Deborah. 2013a. “Unpacking Attitudes About Descriptive Representation.” Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association.Google Scholar
Schildkraut, Deborah. 2013b. “Which Birds of a Feather Flock Together? Assessing Attitudes About Descriptive Representation among Latinos and Asian Americans.” American Politics Research 41 (4): 699–729.Google Scholar
Segura, Gary. 2012. “Latino Public Opinion & Realigning the American Electorate.” Daedalus 141 (4): 98–113.Google Scholar
Shelby, Tommie. 2005. We Who Are Dark: The Philosophical Foundations of Black Solidarity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Simien, Evelyn. 2005. “Race, Gender, and Linked Fate.” Journal of Black Studies 35 (5): 529–50.Google Scholar
Skerry, Peter. 1997. “The Strange Politics of Affirmative Action.” Wilson Quarterly (Winter): 39–46.Google Scholar
Tate, Katherine. 1993. From Protest to Politics: The New Black Voters in American Elections. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.Google Scholar
Tate, Katherine. 2003. “Black Opinion on the Legitimacy of Racial Redistricting and Minority-Majority Districts.” American Political Science Review 97 (1): 45–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Valdez, Zulema. 2011. “Political Participation among Latinos in the United States: The Effect of Group Identity and Consciousness.” Social Science Quarterly 92 (2): 466–82.Google Scholar
Watts, Candis. 2009. “Expanding Contours of Black Politics?: Understanding Linked-Fate among Afro-Caribbeans.” Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL.Google Scholar
White, Ismail. 2007. “When Race Matters and When It Doesn't: Racial Group Differences in Response to Racial Cues.” American Political Science Review 101 (2): 339–54.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: PDF

Gay supplementary material

Online Appendix

Download Gay supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 298 KB