| Broad inferences have been made that the election of a Black American President indicates that America now functions in a post-racist society. This optimism has fueled a major discussion for changes in American policies which directly affect minorities; in particular, those related to affirmative action in higher education are under attack. Due to minority upward mobility in society, it is debated that Black Americans no longer prefer affirmative action policies in higher education. Largely, this broad account does not consider studies which indicate that an individual's support for policies depends on the policy type. Further, multiple factors influence Black preference of affirmative action policies, with income polarization being a more recent argument. However, research is limited on socioeconomic status as a predictor of preference in affirmative action policies in higher education. To date, no prior scholarly literature has explored the influence of subjective social status as a predictor of Black preference of these policies. A random sample of Black registered voters (N=514) living in one city in a southern region of the United States were surveyed regarding their preference for race-based affirmative action policy. Subjective Social Status was quantified to examine preference for race-based affirmative action policy. The strength of associations was contrasted between objective socioeconomic status and subjective social status. Multiple Regression analysis confirmed a statistically significant relationship between social status, income and race-based preference. However, race consciousness was a stronger indicator than social status race-based preference among Blacks. This research seeks to fill the gap in our understanding by testing the premise that perceived social status position matters in preference for affirmative action policies in higher education. |
