Symbolic racism against black people among black and white Americans: A system justification account

Abstract Using three nationally representative, probability samples of Americans ( N s range from 848 to 20,728), we examined the endorsement of symbolic racism against Black people among both Black and White Americans through the lens of system justification. We found (1) endorsement of symbolic racism among Black Americans is not trivial and (2) acceptance of income inequality is a robust predictor of symbolic racism for all respondents, above and beyond political conservatism, ingroup and outgroup affect (Studies 1 and 3), racial stereotype endorsement (Study 2), desire for social dominance, and group consciousness (Study 3). Furthermore, the association between acceptance of inequality and symbolic racism is mediated by perceptions of system fairness for both Black and White respondents (Study 3). This large‐scale analysis suggested that both Black and White Americans have a motivation to perceive the system as fair, and this manifested in similar justifications of racial inequality, even when such beliefs are antithetical to group or self‐interests.