Racial Discrimination in Time Investment: The Intergroup Time Bias in Different Social Contexts

Intergroup time bias (ITB) is a discriminatory behavior in which individuals invest more time in members of their ingroup than of the outgroup. We examined the ITB effect in three culturally diverse countries (Angola, Portugal, and Brazil) each with distinct racialized hierarchies shaped by symbolic social values and group size dynamics. We systematically examined the robustness and moderators of ITB, providing the first culturally informed analysis of how status, based on symbolic social value and group size, underlies this effect. Study 1 replicated the pro-white ITB effect and showed that White participants in Portugal (a predominantly White country where Black individuals are socially devalued) invested more time in White than in Black individuals. Study 2 examined the ITB in Black participants in Angola (a majority-Black country where the symbolic social value of the Black population has increased since decolonization) and showed that participants tended to invest more time in Black than White individuals, although this difference did not reach statistical significance for the ITB effect. Study 3 included both White and Black participants in Brazil (a majority-Black country where deep-rooted racial inequalities characterize social interactions) and found that pro-White ITB was replicated and more pronounced among Black participants. Study 4 conducted a meta-analysis that confirmed the robustness of ITB and identified symbolic social value at the national level as a key moderator. These findings illuminate the role of social context in racialized discrimination in the investment of time and provide a basis for future research into the mechanisms underlying ITB.