RACISM ON A SOUTH AFRICAN CAMPUS: A SURVEY OF STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES AND ATTITUDES

Racial experiences and attitudes were examined in a sample of 433 South African university students. Two hundred and forty-two respondents (55.9%) reported that they had experienced a total of 926 racial incidents on campus in the 12-month period reviewed. The majority of these experiences (71%) involved discriminatory behaviors, with members of the university staff being the modal perpetrators (56% of all incidents). Although racial experiences elicited a range of negative reactions (becoming upset, fearful, or angry) none of the incidents had been reported to campus authorities. Respondents' racial attitudes were found to vary as a function of both gender (males being more likely to endorse racist statements) and race (white students scoring highest on a measure of old-fashioned racism, and Indian and white students scoring highest on a measure of modern racism).

Racial Attitudes among South African Young Adults: A Four-year Follow-up Study

The many social changes that have occurred in South Africa since the first democratic elections in 1994 warrant that careful scrutiny be given to the racial attitudes of South Africa's young adults. Their degree of acceptance of the doctrine of deracialisation and reconciliation represents a hope or a warning about the possibility of a stable future. A follow-up study was thus carried out in order to update data collected in 1995, with the hypothesis that, over time, greater acceptance of other racial groups would be reported. In this follow-up study, the authors examined differences among a new sample of 122 Xhosa-speaking Black, 73 so-called coloured, and 234 English-speaking White young adults. Data were collected using a questionnaire that assessed aspects of these groups' perceptions of themselves (identities) and their attitudes toward other racial groups (their prejudice). Statistical significance was found between groups and over time across measures.

Ethnic identity and racial attitudes in a minority group of mixed racial origin

Limited information exists on the racial attitudes and ethnic identities of groups of mixed racial origin. The present research tested the hypotheses that the construct of ethnic identity is valid among such groups and that ethnic identity is related to out-group prejudice, as predicted by social identity theory. The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure, the Anti-White Scale, and the Subtle Racism Scale were administered to 70 South Africans of mixed racial descent, the so-called Coloureds. A factor analysis supported the structural validity of the 12-item measure of ethnic identity with this sample, but correlations between scales did not support the prediction that group identity would be positively associated with out-group prejudice. Group identity was positively related .27 to positive attitudes toward Whites consistent with the tenets of social dominance theory.