Public opinion, racial bias and labour market outcomes in the USA

Kaveh Majlesi, Silvia Prina, Paul Sullivan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Here we study the role of negative shifts in public opinion in the economic lives of under-represented racial groups by investigating sudden changes in views towards Asian people following the anti-Chinese rhetoric that emerged with the COVID-19 pandemic, and associated changes in employment status and earnings in the US labour market. Using data from the Current Population Survey, we find that, unlike other under-represented groups, Asian workers in occupations or industries with a higher likelihood of face-to-face interactions before the pandemic were more likely to become unemployed afterwards. While widespread along the political spectrum, negative shifts in the perceived favourability of Asian people, and not of other under-represented groups, were much stronger among those who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and could have been more influenced by the anti-Asian rhetoric.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1493-1505
Number of pages13
JournalNature Human Behaviour
Volume8
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024 Aug

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Economics

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