Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, Vol 29(2), May 2023, 182-195; doi:10.1037/law0000350
Hate crime legislation is a divisive issue in America. While many Americans agree that hate crime laws are necessary, roughly one-third of Americans do not support such legislation. Some research suggests that one reason for this variation in support may be differences in political attitudes. Other research suggests that variation in support may be attributable to differences in prejudicial attitudes toward those minority groups that hate crime laws are intended to protect. Importantly, however, prior research has also indicated a relationship between political affiliation and prejudice, yet research has not considered the potential for there to be a joint relationship between prejudice, political affiliation, and hate crime law support. Following this, the current research examined these relationships using data from 1,935 survey respondents across the United States who voted in the 2016 election, shared who they voted for, and expressed opinions regarding hate crime laws. Our results indicated at least three important findings. First, we found that political attitudes were uniquely associated with hate crime law support, such that more conservative voters were less likely to support hate crime laws. Second, indicators of anti-Hispanic, anti-Asian, and anti-Black prejudice were each negatively associated with hate crime law support. Finally, each of these prejudicial attitude measures significantly mediated the association between political affiliation and hate crime law support. These results suggest that politically conservative resistance to these laws may be partially rooted in prejudicial attitudes. By understanding these patterns, this research can inform important policy debates surrounding these issues moving forward. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)