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While there has been an extensive amount of research on how to reduce or
measure social desirability effects—the extent to which people alter their opinions to
comply with social norms—most of this discussion has been confined to methodological
issues related to survey design and implementation. Social desirability effects and the
willingness to express “true” attitudes are phenomena that plague pubic opinion absent
survey research, especially when it comes to articulating attitudes about race.
Duly noted but less explored is the notion that reducing the pressure to conform
can also be achieved by receiving external justification from everyday sources (Aronson
1984). Therefore, we examine the extent to which everyday life reduces the censoring of
racial attitudes. Specifically, we examine the role the media play in “releasing the
pressure” to mask one’s racial beliefs. The media provide the perfect opportunity to
examine the research question because it is an institution to which most Americans are
exposed. We argue that, when people have their beliefs validated, i.e. when they
encounter others who share in their beliefs via the media, they will express more racially
conservative racial attitudes. We also argue that the willingness to express these beliefs
will be greater when the conservative position has been validated by an African
American.
Identifying the circumstances that reduce social desirability is important given the
implications this phenomenon has on American society. Individuals’ self-censorship
masks the extent to which the United States has progressed on the road to universal
equality. Moreover, it calls to question the need for affirmative action, majority-minority
districts and the renewal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965—policies that have a direct
impact on a significant segment of the American population. Thus, addressing this
Convention