Five Traditions of Quantitative Research on Racism: Their Research Objects, Methods, Assumptions and Relationships
Pieter-Paul Verhaeghe reviews the research traditions on explicit attitudes, implicit bias, discriminatory behavior, migration policies, racial disparities, and personal experiences of discrimination.
The study of racism has become increasingly fragmented, with varying conceptualizations, specializations and methodologies, often divided along disciplinary lines. This paper reviews five traditions of quantitative research on racism, covering research on explicit racial attitudes, implicit biases, discrimination, migration and integration policies, ethno-racial disparities, and perceived experiences of racism. We elaborate on their research objects, historical development, measurement methods, core assumptions and critiques, and main findings. Moreover, we discuss how these five traditions are interrelated and connected to the broader concept of racism at the micro-, meso- and macro-level. Our position is that quantitative research can be used for racial justice, but it requires deeper transdisciplinary collaboration across the five traditions, more critical reflection on their underlying assumptions and limitations, and more explicit theorizing about how they relate to the multifaceted nature of racism.
Open access to the full article in Sociology Compass.
Reference: Verhaeghe, P.P. (2025). Five traditions of quantitative research on racism: Their research objects, methods, assumptions and relationships. Sociology Compass, 19, e70141 https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.70141
