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Children associate racial groups with wealth: evidence from South Africa

Kristina R Olson1, Kristin Shutts, Katherine D Kinzler

  • 1Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. kristina.olson@yale.edu

Child Development
|August 7, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Children as young as three in South Africa recognize racial hierarchies, associating wealthier possessions with higher-status racial groups. This understanding of social status and wealth disparities emerges early and persists across early childhood.

Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Sociology

Background:

  • Group-based social hierarchies are prevalent in societies worldwide.
  • Understanding children's awareness of these hierarchies, particularly racial ones, is limited.
  • Wealth is a key indicator of social status within these hierarchies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if young children associate higher-status racial groups with greater wealth.
  • To examine children's sensitivity to the de facto racial hierarchy in South Africa.
  • To explore age-related changes in this association.

Main Methods:

  • Study involved 84 children aged 3 to 10 years in South Africa.
  • Children were asked to associate different racial groups (White, multiracial, Black) with varying levels of wealth/belongings.
  • Statistical analysis was used to determine associations and age effects.

Main Results:

  • Children consistently matched higher-value belongings with White individuals more than multiracial or Black individuals.
  • A similar pattern was observed associating multiracial individuals with higher value than Black individuals.
  • No significant age-related differences were found in associating racial groups with wealth.

Conclusions:

  • Children demonstrate an early understanding of societal racial hierarchies and their link to wealth.
  • This sensitivity to status differences is present from a young age (3-10 years).
  • Findings suggest children may internalize and perpetuate existing social inequalities.

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