Volume 64, Issue 2 e12889
ARTICLE

The White gaze in racial stereotype research: Sample bias and its consequences

Cong Peng

Corresponding Author

Cong Peng

Division of Arts and Sciences, NYU Shanghai, Shanghai, China

Correspondence

Cong Peng, N832, 567 West Yangsi Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai 200124, China.

Email: [email protected]

Contribution: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Data curation, ​Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing

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Paton Pak Chun Yam

Paton Pak Chun Yam

School of Applied Social Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

Contribution: Methodology, Data curation, Writing - review & editing

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Peter Gries

Peter Gries

Manchester China Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester, China

Contribution: Methodology, Data curation, Writing - review & editing

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First published: 19 April 2025

Abstract

Existing research on racial stereotypes predominantly relies upon White subjects, exploring their perceptions of Blacks and Asians. Do its findings generalize beyond Whites? To find out, we combined insights from the Stereotype Content Model and Gendered-race Theory, exploring the racial stereotypes of Whites, Blacks and Asians simultaneously as both perceivers and targets. In two studies involving White, Black and Asian Americans (Study 1, N = 702), and surveys in Australia, Japan, South Korea and China (Study 2, N = 6508), we found both similarities and differences in how racial groups perceive each other. Asians were consistently seen as more competent but less athletic, while Blacks were seen as more athletic but less competent. Whites fell between these poles. But each group differed in viewing their own race as warmer than other races, suggesting ingroup favoritism. This research demonstrates that diverse racial samples are needed for a less Eurocentric and more accurate understanding of racial stereotypes.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

All data, materials and analysis code for all studies are available on the Open Science Framework page https://osf.io/jk3bv.