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Racial Discrimination in Sweden and the US: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Tat, Garlli LU (2023) PSYP01 20231
Department of Psychology
Abstract
Racial discrimination is one of the most fundamental forms of social inequality. It remains prevalent in major progressive democracies such as Sweden and the United States. Limited studies have examined how the two nations differ in a comparative cross-sectional design. This paper aims to understand experiences and opinions regarding ethnicity and discrimination to explore differences and similarities on these aspects in the United States and Sweden in university students. The current study also examines the importance of racial identity and the ideas of system justification and racial consciousness. Analysis of responses (n = 2307) in a web-based questionnaire found that non-whites consider their racial/ethnic backgrounds to be more... (More)
Racial discrimination is one of the most fundamental forms of social inequality. It remains prevalent in major progressive democracies such as Sweden and the United States. Limited studies have examined how the two nations differ in a comparative cross-sectional design. This paper aims to understand experiences and opinions regarding ethnicity and discrimination to explore differences and similarities on these aspects in the United States and Sweden in university students. The current study also examines the importance of racial identity and the ideas of system justification and racial consciousness. Analysis of responses (n = 2307) in a web-based questionnaire found that non-whites consider their racial/ethnic backgrounds to be more important to their identity compared to whites in both nations, Sweden defends system justification more than the United States, the ‘American’ identity is more open compared to ‘Swedish’ regardless of racial/ethnic group, and there is a higher self-reported racial discrimination rate in Sweden than the United States. University student responses were collected from 35 U.S. states and two universities in Sweden. With their different racial histories, approaches to immigration, and social policies, comparing the United States and Sweden provide interesting insights and a broader understanding of racism. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Tat, Garlli LU
supervisor
organization
course
PSYP01 20231
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Discrimination, Racism, Sweden, US, comparison, cross-sectional study
language
English
additional info
Special thanks to the students of University of Wisconsin, Madison, Arne Lunde at University of California, Los Angeles, and all else who contributed to the data collection.
id
9124786
date added to LUP
2023-06-15 10:08:03
date last changed
2023-06-15 10:08:03
@misc{9124786,
  abstract     = {{Racial discrimination is one of the most fundamental forms of social inequality. It remains prevalent in major progressive democracies such as Sweden and the United States. Limited studies have examined how the two nations differ in a comparative cross-sectional design. This paper aims to understand experiences and opinions regarding ethnicity and discrimination to explore differences and similarities on these aspects in the United States and Sweden in university students. The current study also examines the importance of racial identity and the ideas of system justification and racial consciousness. Analysis of responses (n = 2307) in a web-based questionnaire found that non-whites consider their racial/ethnic backgrounds to be more important to their identity compared to whites in both nations, Sweden defends system justification more than the United States, the ‘American’ identity is more open compared to ‘Swedish’ regardless of racial/ethnic group, and there is a higher self-reported racial discrimination rate in Sweden than the United States. University student responses were collected from 35 U.S. states and two universities in Sweden. With their different racial histories, approaches to immigration, and social policies, comparing the United States and Sweden provide interesting insights and a broader understanding of racism.}},
  author       = {{Tat, Garlli}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Racial Discrimination in Sweden and the US: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}