Asian American’s Endorsement of the Model Minority Myth & Solidarity with Other Minoritized Racial Groups

Objective: The narrative of Asian Americans as a "model minority" contrasts the group against other minoritized racial groups likely undermining cross-racial solidarity. However, there is limited research assessing the connection between the internalization of model minority myth beliefs (IMMM) among Asian Americans and their interest in cross-racial solidarity. Method: We recruited 500 Asian Americans (48% women, 51% men, Mage = 27.66) and examined whether levels of IMMM predict attitudes toward, and intent to build coalitions with, other racial minorities, as well as support for policies that address racial discrimination. Results: We found that greater IMMM was related to lower warmth toward, perceived similarity with, perceptions of discrimination toward, and intent to form coalitions with other racial minorities. Greater IMMM was also related to less support for policies to address discrimination. Furthermore, the subcomponents of IMMM were differentially associated with the intergroup attitudes examined. Conclusions: Understanding Asian Americans’ model minority beliefs is likely key to fostering more positive cross-racial coalitions.