Are Stereotypes About Minorities More Negative?

Abstract

Various theories on intergroup bias predict that stereotypes about minorities are more negative than those about majorities. Although there is clear evidence that specific minorities are often subject to negative stereotypes, a systematic test of the relationship between group size and stereotype valence across various social groups is lacking. We conducted a multinational study across seven Western European countries to examine this relationship. We retrieved objective data on group sizes for 196 political, social, religious, ethnic and sexual orientation groups and assessed people's stereotypes about these groups. With 19,958 stereotype ratings from 1397 individuals (∼200 per country), our findings reveal that stereotypes about minorities are indeed more negative. This pattern persisted when controlling for respondents’ group membership and several robustness checks (e.g., which country is studied). Our study provides a systematic test of a central claim in stereotype research within WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic) countries.