Modern Racism Scale (MRS)

Abstract

The Modern Racism Scale (MRS) is a widely utilized psychological scale developed by John B. McConahay in the 1980s. Its primary function is to measure subtle, symbolic forms of racism that emerged in the post-Civil Rights Movement era, replacing overt forms of prejudice (often termed “Old-fashioned Racism”). The MRS assesses attitudes that reflect resentment toward perceived excessive demands by Black Americans for equal rights, and the belief that systemic discrimination is no longer a significant problem in the United States.

Unlike older measures that tapped into beliefs about biological inferiority, the MRS focuses on ideological opposition and emotional distance, allowing researchers to capture racial bias in a socially acceptable manner, thus mitigating the effects of social desirability bias in self-report measures.

Keywords

Modern Racism, Symbolic Racism, Prejudice, Racial Attitudes, John B. McConahay, Likert scale, Racial Resentment, Discrimination, Civil Rights.

Authors

John B. McConahay.

Purpose

The principal purpose of the MRS is to capture racial prejudice in a manner that bypasses social desirability bias. Traditional measures of overt racism became ineffective in the late 20th century as explicit expressions of racial hostility became socially unacceptable. The MRS was designed to tap into underlying feelings of resentment and ideological opposition to policies aimed at achieving racial equality, particularly concerning government support for minority groups.

It helps researchers understand how subtle negative attitudes toward Black Americans manifest in contemporary society, often disguised as adherence to traditional American values such as individualism and self-reliance. High scores on the MRS are typically correlated with opposition to policies like affirmative action and other measures designed to redress historical inequalities.

Construct

The MRS measures the construct of Modern Racism (or Symbolic Racism). This construct is rooted in the belief that Black Americans are demanding too much too quickly and that their continued disadvantaged status is due to a lack of effort, not systemic barriers. This construct is characterized by four primary themes:

• Denial that racial discrimination remains a systemic problem in the US.
• Antagonism toward the demands made by minority groups for equal treatment.
• Resentment of perceived preferential treatment or “special favors” given to minority groups.
• Belief that Black Americans’ current socioeconomic situation is due to a lack of motivation rather than societal obstacles.

Modern racism is often expressed through abstract moral principles and emotional opposition to racial change, rather than overt hostility toward individuals.

Validity

The validity of the MRS has been extensively studied since its introduction. Construct validity is supported by its strong correlation with other measures of racial prejudice and political conservatism, while showing weaker correlations with measures of traditional personality traits, confirming that it measures a specific racial ideology rather than general hostility.

Predictive validity is demonstrated by the MRS’s ability to predict opposition to specific policies (e.g., school desegregation, hiring initiatives) and discriminatory behaviors in simulated and real-world contexts, as noted in McConahay’s original research (1983). The scale effectively captures attitudes that influence behavior when racial cues are subtle rather than explicit.

Reliability

The scale demonstrates strong internal consistency. The source content indicates a high Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.86, suggesting that the seven items reliably measure the same underlying construct. This level of reliability is generally considered excellent for psychological research instruments.

Further research across various samples and time periods has consistently reported high internal reliability, often ranging from 0.80 to 0.90, confirming the scale’s stability and consistency in measuring modern racial attitudes among primarily White American populations.

Factor Analysis

Early factor analyses of the MRS typically supported a unidimensional structure, indicating that all seven items load onto a single factor representing modern racial resentment. McConahay argued that the scale captures a unitary concept of symbolic racism, distinct from older forms of prejudice.

While some subsequent studies have suggested minor sub-factors, the scale is overwhelmingly utilized and scored as a single, additive measure of modern prejudice, emphasizing the core dimension of opposition to the advancement of minority groups.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report, Attitudinal Scale

Format: 7 items utilizing a Likert scale format, typically ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to a higher value (strongly agree).

Language Available: Primarily English (developed and validated in the US).

Population Group: General population, primarily focused on measuring attitudes of White Americans toward Black Americans.

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (typically 18+).

Population Details: Used predominantly in the United States to study racial bias, political behavior, and social psychology.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with each statement along the continuum (strongly disagree) to (strongly agree). Scoring involves summing or averaging item responses, with reverse scoring applied to item 1.

Keywords

Racial prejudice, Subtle bias, Symbolic attitudes, Political psychology, Social desirability, Desegregation, Cronbach’s alpha, McConahay.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was initially developed and published by John B. McConahay, with key publications appearing in 1983 and 1986. Because the scale is widely available in academic literature, it is generally used for non-commercial research purposes without direct fees, provided the original publications are properly cited.

The original PDF of the instrument, as found in a related dissertation, can be downloaded here: https://shareok.org/bitstream/handle/11244/6988/Department%20of%20Psychology_66.pdf?sequence=1

Reference’s

McConahay‚ John B.; Hardee‚ Betty B.; Batts‚ Valerie (December 1981). Has Racism Declined in America? It Depends on Who is Asking and What is Asked”. Journal of Conflict Resolution 25 (4): 563–79.

McConahay‚ J. B. (1983). Modern racism and modern discrimination: The effects of race‚ racial attitudes‚ and context on simulated hiring decisions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin‚ 9‚ 551-558.

McConahay‚ J. B. (1986). Modern racism‚ ambivalence‚ and the Modern Racism Scale. In J. F. Dovidio & S. L. Gaertner (Eds.)‚ Prejudice‚ discrimination‚ and racism (pp. 91–125). New York: Academic Press.

Wisdom‚ Nicholas M. (2010). Social acceptance of age discrimination. Oklahoma State University. Doctoral dissertation.

Items of the Modern Racism Scale (MRS)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. It is easy to understand the anger of black people in America.
2. Blacks have more influence upon school desegregation plans than they ought to have.
3. Blacks are getting too demanding in their push for equal rights.
4. Over the past few years blacks have gotten more economically than they deserve.
5. Over the past few years the government and news media have shown more respect to blacks than they deserve.
6. Blacks should not push themselves where they’re not wanted.
7. Discrimination against blacks is no longer a problem in the United States.