Members of high status groups are threatened by pro diversity organizational messages
Abstract Members of high status groups may perceive pro diversity messages from organizations as threatening to their group's status. Two initial studies N 322) demonstrate that when imagining applying for a job, whites and not ethnic/racial minorities expressed more concerns about being treated unfairly and about anti white discrimination when the company mentioned (vs. did not mention) its pro diversity values. In a third experiment, white men N 77) participated in a hiring simulation. Participants applying to the pro diversity company exhibited greater cardiovascular threat, expressed more concerns about being discriminated against, and made a poorer impression during the interview relative to white men applying to a neutral company. These effects were not moderated by individual differences in racial identification, racial attitudes, or system fairness beliefs. These findings suggest that high status identities may be more sensitive to identity threats than commonly assumed, and that this sensitivity is robust to differences in higher order beliefs and attitudes.