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Stigma or Sympathy? Attributions of Fault to Hate Crime Victims and Offenders

Authors :
Lyons, Christopher J.
Source :
Social Psychology Quarterly. Mar 2006 69(1):39-59.
Publication Year :
2006

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of social status on attributions of blame in specific instances of hate crime. Two theoretical explanations for the impact of offender's and victim's social status characteristics on evaluations of hate crimes are examined. The stigma perspective suggests that the public will deride minority-status individuals, whereas the sympathy perspective implies that the public will be sympathetic to members of minorities. Results from a factorial survey reveal mixed support for both perspectives, depending on the victim's status (race, gender, or sexual orientation). Respondents appear especially sensitive to racial status asymmetry, blaming white offenders more than black offenders and black victims less than white victims, but sympathy is not evident for gay and lesbian victims. Results also suggest that gay and lesbian victims are held more accountable for their actions than heterosexual victims and that respondent's attitudes shape attributions of blame. (Contains 3 figures, 3 tables and 17 footnotes.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
0190-2725
Volume :
69
Issue :
1
Database :
ERIC
Journal :
Social Psychology Quarterly
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
EJ890007
Document Type :
Journal Articles<br />Reports - Evaluative
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1177/019027250606900104