2024/01/01 by Spencer Lindsay, Cody R. Melcher · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Social and Intergroup Psychology #Migration, Refugees, and Integration #Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
paper · doi:10.1093/poq/nfae055
openalex publication_date 2024/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15
Abstract In the last decade and a half, the United States has seen a rise in right-wing nationalism. Status threat provides a compelling explanation as to why. As white Americans see changing demographics, more diverse imagery in American leadership, and increased interdependence globally, they fear that they are losing “their” country. Scholars, however, often see status threat as primarily symbolic rather than material. We argue that material concerns are also instrumental in shaping whites’ perception of status threat. We test this hypothesis using an original survey experiment in which some respondents are primed to think about symbolic or material aspects of status threat. Relative to the control, both groups express heightened levels of perceived threat from other groups, indicating that both material and symbolic concerns are instrumental in shaping perceptions of status threat. We additionally test whether Republican whites respond to this perceived threat by becoming more likely to endorse far-right, restrictionist immigration policies. Our findings on the latter question are mixed.