Do pessimistic expectations about discrimination make minorities withdraw their effort? Causal evidence

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F67985998%3A_____%2F22%3A00561679" target="_blank" >RIV/67985998:_____/22:00561679 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.cerge-ei.cz/pdf/wp/Wp731.pdf" target="_blank" >https://www.cerge-ei.cz/pdf/wp/Wp731.pdf</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Do pessimistic expectations about discrimination make minorities withdraw their effort? Causal evidence

Original language description

There is a long-standing concern that expected discrimination discourages minorities from exercising effort to succeed. Effort withdrawal could contribute to confirming negative stereotypes about minorities’ productivity and enduring disparities. This paper extends the findings of correlational research by exogenously manipulating individuals’ beliefs about discrimination against their group and exploring a causal link between perceived discrimination and individuals’ labor market behavior. For this purpose, we conduct an online experiment in the US with a diverse sample of 2,000 African Americans. We randomly assign individuals to two groups and inform one group about the frequency of discrimination against African Americans in a previous survey. To study the information effects on effort, we subsequently measure participants’ results on a math task. We document that most individuals initially overestimate discrimination against African Americans. The overestimation decreases strongly and significantly as a result of information provision. At the same time, treated individuals, males in particular, attempt and solve correctly fewer math problems compared to untreated individuals. Hence, our findings do not support the common concern that minorities’ inflated expectations about discrimination induce them to underperform.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

O - Miscellaneous

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

50202 - Applied Economics, Econometrics

Project

<a href="/en/project/GA20-11091S" target="_blank" >GA20-11091S: Determinants of Pro-Social and Anti-Social Behavior: Field Experimental Evidence</a><br>

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2022

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů