Changing White Attitudes toward Black Political Leadership

Zoltan L. Hajnal

12/2006 · Cambridge University Press

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Despite the hopes of the civil rights movement, researchers have found that the election of African Americans to office has not greatly improved the well-being of the black community. By shifting the focus to the white community, this book shows that black representation can have a profound impact. Utilizing national public opinion surveys, data on voting patterns in large American cities, and in-depth studies of Los Angeles and Chicago, Zoltan Hajnal demonstrates that under most black mayors there is real, positive change in the white vote and in the racial attitudes of white residents. This change occurs because black incumbency provides concrete information that disproves the fears and expectations of many white residents. These findings not only highlight the importance of black representation; they also demonstrate the critical role that information can play in racial politics to the point where black representation can profoundly alter white views and white votes.

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Zoltan L. Hajnal is an assistant professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego. He received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago. He has published articles in numerous journals, including The American Political Science Review, The Journal of Politics, Urban Affairs Review, and Social Science Quarterly. He received the American Political Science Association's award for Best Paper on Urban Politics. His research has been funded by the Russell Sage Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.