Some Correlates of Civil Rights Activism (1967)

The relation of intergroup contact to civil rights activities is examined among both whites and Negroes. The major hypotheses are (1) that equalitarian contact is associated with greater activism, but more particularly for whites than for Negroes, and (2) that contact leads to an interpenetration of perspectives. The data modestly support both hypotheses. Alternatives to the contact hypothesis are explored; namely, that activism is related to the individual’s (1) sense of powerlessness, (2) degree of status concern, and (3) liberalism–conservatism. The data indicate that a generalized liberal ideology is least relevant for explaining civil rights activism; and that the basis for activism among Negroes remains problematic.