New Research From Robinson Examines Attitudes toward Confederate Symbols

Social area graduate student Tyler Robinson (faculty mentor: Dr. Ethan Zell) recently published work in Group Processes and Intergroup Relations examining people’s attitudes toward Confederate symbols (e.g., flags and monuments) in the United States. Across two studies ranging college-aged and online samples, Robinson showed that a tendency for more conservative individuals to feel more positively toward Confederate symbols is mediated (i.e., related through) historical knowledge. That is, people who felt more positively toward Confederate symbols (many of whom happened to have more conservative political ideology) tended to have less historical knowledge of racism in the United States. Robinson presented this work at the yearly Graduate Research Colloquium. Great to see this research program developing and being recognized!