White Grievance as a Predictor of American Attitudes Toward Critical Race Theory

ABSTRACT Critical race theory (CRT), developed by legal scholars over forty years ago, highlights how structural racism is embedded within American institutions. Yet, CRT did not become a national flashpoint until 2020, during the height of Black Lives Matter demonstrations against racial injustice. At that time, CRT attracted widespread condemnation from conservative lawmakers, who claimed it was unfair to whites and introduced legislation to ban it from K‐12 public schools, even though CRT was not formally included in these curricula. Given the potentially long‐lasting effects of such legislation on how racism is taught in public education, it is important to better understand Americans' attitudes toward CRT and the factors shaping them. Our mixed methods study examines whether white grievance (the belief that whites are victims of anti‐white discrimination) predicts opposition to teaching CRT in K‐12 public schools. Ordinal regression results show white Americans who endorse white grievance beliefs are significantly less likely than people of color to support CRT instruction in schools. Our qualitative findings identify three key components of white grievance—white victimhood, colorblind reasoning, and fears of liberal indoctrination—all embedded within epistemologies of ignorance. These themes help explain the relationship between white grievance and opposition to CRT.