Race, Xenophobia, and Punitiveness Among the American Public

Creator(s)

Joseph O. Baker, East Tennessee State UniversityFollow
David Canarte, University of Florida
Edward Day, Chapman University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-24-2018

Description

We outline four connections between xenophobia and punitiveness toward criminals in a national sample of Americans. First, among self-identified whites xenophobia is more predictive of punitiveness than specific forms of racial animus. Second, xenophobia and punitiveness are strongly connected among whites, but are only moderately and weakly related among black and Hispanic Americans, respectively. Third, among whites substantial proportions of the variance between sociodemographic, political, and religious predictors of punitiveness are mediated by levels of xenophobia. Finally, xenophobia is the strongest overall predictor of punitiveness among whites. Overall, xenophobia is an essential aspect of understanding public punitiveness, particularly among whites.

Citation Information

Baker, Joseph O.; Canarte, David; and Day, Edward. 2018. Race, Xenophobia, and Punitiveness Among the American Public. Sociology Quarterly. Vol.59(3). 363-383. https://doi.org/10.1080/00380253.2018.1479202 https://doi.org/10.1080/00380253.2018.1479202 ISSN: 0007-1315