The Impact of Donald Trump's 2024 Election on Social Acceptability of Prejudice

Following the 2024 United States presidential election, a study published in the *Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin* indicates that Donald Trump's campaign rhetoric has significantly influenced the social acceptability of prejudice in America. Researchers aimed to determine whether the negative language used during Trump's campaign would lead to an increase in both perceived acceptability of prejudice and self-reported prejudice against targeted groups, similar to the effects observed after the 2016 election.

Psypost

The study involved two main phases: a pre-election phase from September to October 2024 with 362 participants, and a post-election phase in mid-November 2024 with 261 participants. Participants rated 60 of 128 social groups on a scale of acceptability for prejudice and reported their own levels of prejudice. A third group of 188 participants evaluated Trump's rhetoric regarding these groups.

Psypost

The results revealed a strong correlation between self-reported prejudice and perceived social acceptability of that prejudice. While baseline levels of prejudice remained stable, the specific negativity of Trump's campaign rhetoric accounted for a significant change in attitudes, particularly toward groups he criticized, including Muslims and transgender individuals. Notably, this effect was observed across both Democratic and Republican participants, suggesting a broad influence of Trump's language on societal norms.

Psypost

Despite the findings, the study has limitations. The participant demographic was predominantly White and female college students from a midwestern university, which may not accurately represent the broader American population. Additionally, the short timeframe of the study raises questions about the long-term stability of the observed shifts in prejudice. The research design was observational, making it challenging to isolate the effects of Trump's rhetoric from other concurrent historical events.

Psypost

The study's findings align with previous research indicating that explicit prejudice has increased among Trump supporters since the 2016 election. This trend reflects a growing connection between conservative political ideology and bias against marginalized groups. Researchers emphasize that political leadership plays a crucial role in shaping social norms, with Trump's rhetoric normalizing expressions of prejudice.

Psypost

Christian S. Crandall, a professor of psychology and corresponding author of the study, noted, “Our work is showing that prejudice is controlled a lot by social norms and rules about what’s OK to say and to feel.” He highlighted the significant role of conformity in prejudice expression, suggesting that Trump's leadership has contributed to a more overt display of biases in American society.

Psypost

Future research is expected to delve deeper into the mechanisms linking political leadership to individual prejudice, exploring how social norms influence attitudes and behaviors. The study's authors aim to investigate the extent to which conformity drives prejudice, particularly in the context of political discourse.

Psypost

• “If people have any attitudes at all about a group, they’re likely to be stable,” — Christian S. Crandall, Professor of Psychology

Psypost

• “The effects are not large but they are spread out across the whole nation and population,” — Christian S. Crandall, Professor of Psychology

Psypost

• “A major chuck — maybe the biggest single chunk — of prejudice is conformity. And Trump leads.” — Christian S. Crandall, Professor of Psychology

Psypost