Doctoral Dissertation Research: Whites' Racial Attitudes in the Detroit Metropolitan Area: Does It Matter How We Ask?

这是一个奖项下的赠款为改善博士论文研究计划。 这是一项关于白人种族态度和衡量这些态度的适当科学方法的研究，重点是白人更支持种族平等的抽象原则，而不是旨在实现这些目标的政策。 本研究探讨了这种“政策/原则差距“的两种解释：1）调查研究没有捕捉到真实的种族态度，因为社会期望的压力，根据被认为是流行的社会规范作出反应; 2）预测原则和政策之间完美关系的模型是不够的，必须考虑其他的态度，信仰和价值观。 本研究重视新的数据收集和分析正在进行的底特律地区的研究，以解决这些问题。 %%% 本研究在研究方法和社会学理论上都涉及重要问题，其结果将有助于建立有关美国种族紧张关系的知识基础。 除了通过研究取得的科学成果外，该奖项还将在物质上帮助一位非常有前途的学生完成博士研究。论文 因此，它有助于国家未来的科学人才和下一代社会科学家的全面培训。

This is an award under the Grants for Improving Doctoral Dissertation Research Program. It is a study of whites' racial attitudes and the appropriate scientific methodologies for measuring them, focusing on the fact that whites are more supportive of abstract principles of racial equality than they are of policies directed at achieving these goals. This study investigates two explanations for this "policy/principle gap:" 1) survey research is not capturing true racial attitudes due to social desirability pressures to respond according to what are perceived to be the prevailing social norms; 2) models predicting a perfect relationship between principles and policies are inadequate, and additional attitudes, beliefs and values must be considered. This study attaches fresh data collection and analysis to the on-going Detroit Area Study in order to address these questions. %%% The research engages important issues in both research methodology and sociological theory, and the results will contribute to the knowledge base concerning American racial tensions. In addition to the scientific gains to be achieved by the research, this award will materially assist a highly promising student in completing research for the Ph.D. dissertation. Thus it contributes to the future scientific manpower of the nation and the thorough training of the next generation of social scientists.