Date Approved
2018
Degree Type
Campus Only Senior Honors Thesis
Department or School
Political Science
First Advisor
Jeffery L. Berstein
Second Advisor
Jeffery L. Berstein
Third Advisor
David Klein
Abstract
The perception of Asian Americans in the political sphere of the Unites States remains a topic with a serious lack of research. This project attempts to uncover whether Americans are willing to vote Asians into office and how they understand the differences among this pan-ethnic identity of Asian. Do Americans view one Asian identity as better suited for political positions than others and if they do what is their reasoning? The findings of this study show a strong preference among Americans for East Asian and White political candidates over South Asian candidates. Results suggest that Americans show substantial implicit racial bias in their political attitudes and behaviors. As Americans have a long-standing history of preference of lighter skinned individuals over darker-skinned individuals, colorism most likely plays the main role in this complexion penalty exercised towards South Asians in the results of this study.
Recommended Citation
Koli, Kangkana, "Beyond the generalization of racial categories: How voters react to different Asian identities" (2018). Senior Honors Theses and Projects. 618.
https://commons.emich.edu/honors/618