What is racial resentment in simple terms?

A racial attitude mixing the grievance that a racial group gets unfair advantages without enough effort.

Critics say the items may capture individualism or conservative principles as well as prejudice.

Racial Resentment

🏛️ Politics & Public Administration By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated October 27, 2026

Racial resentment is a concept in American politics referring to a racial attitude that combines the belief that Black Americans demand more than they deserve without working hard enough with individualist values. Donald Kinder and Lynn Sanders introduced it as a four-item scale in 1996. It is widely used to measure modern racial attitudes expressed in the language of effort and fairness rather than overt prejudice.

Contents

1. Concept and scale
2. Political effects
3. Measurement debates
4. FAQ
5. References

Concept and scale

Building on symbolic racism research, Kinder and Sanders (1996) argued that while overt beliefs in biological inferiority had declined, beliefs that Black Americans' circumstances stem from a lack of effort persisted. They measured racial resentment with items such as "Irish, Italians, Jewish and many other minorities overcame prejudice and worked their way up. Blacks should do the same without any special favors." Together with Henry and Sears's (2002) symbolic racism scale, it became a standard tool for measuring modern racial attitudes.

Political effects

Racial resentment strongly predicts opposition to affirmative action, welfare and certain crime policies. Tesler (2012) documented a spillover of racialization after Barack Obama's election, with racial resentment shaping opinion even on health care reform. Enders and Scott (2019) found that the association between racial resentment and vote choice grew steadily from 1988 to 2016.

Measurement debates

Critics argue the scale does not separate racial prejudice from individualism or conservative principles. Feldman and Huddy (2005) reported that the scale may carry different meanings among liberals and conservatives, and Carmines et al. (2011) raised the risk that it conflates racial attitudes with policy preferences. Wilson and Davis (2011) proposed reconceptualizing the construct and refining items. These debates connect to broader measurement issues in symbolic politics theory.

FAQ

What is racial resentment in simple terms?: A racial attitude mixing the grievance that a racial group gets unfair advantages without enough effort.
Why is it debated?: Critics say the items may capture individualism or conservative principles as well as prejudice.

Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26

References

Kinder, D. R., & Sanders, L. M. (1996). Divided by color: Racial politics and democratic ideals. University of Chicago Press. The book introducing the racial resentment scale.
Henry, P. J., & Sears, D. O. (2002). The symbolic racism 2000 scale. Political Psychology, 23(2), 253–283. Related symbolic racism scale.
Feldman, S., & Huddy, L. (2005). Racial resentment and White opposition to race-conscious programs: Principles or prejudice? American Journal of Political Science, 49(1), 168–183. Principles or prejudice? Measurement debate.
Carmines, E. G., Sniderman, P. M., & Easter, B. C. (2011). On the meaning, measurement, and implications of racial resentment. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 634(1), 98–116. Critical look at meaning and measurement.
Wilson, D. C., & Davis, D. W. (2011). Reexamining racial resentment: Conceptualization and content. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 634(1), 117–133. Reconceptualizing the construct.
Tesler, M. (2012). The spillover of racialization into health care: How President Obama polarized public opinion by racial attitudes and race. American Journal of Political Science, 56(3), 690–704. Racialization spillover into health care.
Enders, A. M., & Scott, J. S. (2019). The increasing racialization of American electoral politics, 1988–2016. American Politics Research, 47(2), 275–303. Rising link to vote choice over time.

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This article was last updated on October 27, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.