Internal, External, Genetic, or Cultural? Lay Theories about Racial Health Disparities Predict Perceived Threat, Adherence, and Policy Support

Crist, Jaren D.; Noor, Masi; Schlegel, Rebecca J.; Salter, Phia S.; Rivera, Grace N.; Perez, Michael J.; Coger, Ciara

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that Black and Latinx communities experienced a disproportionate burden of illness. The goal of this study is to investigate laypeople’s attribution of these disparities. We hypothesized the following four potential attributions: external causes (e.g. systemic racism), internal causes (e.g. personal choices), cultural causes (e.g., being close knit), or genetic causes (e.g., being more vulnerable for genetic reasons ). Data from 447 participants revealed that lay theories involving external factors were the most endorsed, whereas theories relating to genetic causes were the least endorsed. Our analyses further revealed that external attributions predicted broader COVID-19 relevant outcomes (i.e., perceived threat of COVID-19, adherence to CDC guidelines, and support for government policies in response to COVID-19), even after controlling for political orientation, participant race, and other attributions. This research provides insight into how lay people’s explanations for disparities can predict their reactions to the pandemic.

Citation

Crist, J. D., Noor, M., Schlegel, R. J., Salter, P. S., Rivera, G. N., Perez, M. J., & Coger, C. (2023). Internal, External, Genetic, or Cultural? Lay Theories about Racial Health Disparities Predict Perceived Threat, Adherence, and Policy Support. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 17(12), Article e12896. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12896

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 8, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Sep 25, 2023
• Publication Date: Sep 25, 2023
• Deposit Date: Sep 20, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 26, 2024
• Journal: Social and Personality Psychology Compass
• Electronic ISSN: 1751-9004
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 12
• Article Number: e12896
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12896
• Keywords: Social Psychology