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Changes in Americans’ prejudices during the presidency of Donald Trump

Author

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  • Benjamin C. Ruisch

    (University of Kent)

  • Melissa J. Ferguson

    (Yale University)

Abstract

The presidency of Donald Trump represented a relatively unique event in modern American history, whereby a sitting US president made numerous controversial remarks about minoritized groups yet nonetheless maintained substantial public support. Trump’s comments constituted a departure from the egalitarian norms that had long characterized American political discourse. Here, we examine the potential effects of Trump’s rhetoric on Americans’ attitudes, predicting that these high-profile norm violations may have reshaped the personal prejudices of the American people. In 13 studies including over 10,000 participants, we tested how Americans’ prejudice changed following the political ascension of Donald Trump. We found that explicit racial and religious prejudice significantly increased amongst Trump’s supporters, whereas individuals opposed to Trump exhibited decreases in prejudice. Further, changing social norms appear to explain these changes in prejudice. These results suggest that Trump’s presidency coincided with a substantial change in the topography of prejudice in the United States.

Suggested Citation

  • Benjamin C. Ruisch & Melissa J. Ferguson, 2022. "Changes in Americans’ prejudices during the presidency of Donald Trump," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(5), pages 656-665, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:6:y:2022:i:5:d:10.1038_s41562-021-01287-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01287-2
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