Americans’ Race Concepts as Categorical and Continuous

Do Americans conceive of race categorically, continuously, or both? This question matters because redressing racial inequality hinges on understanding the racial schemas embedded in minds and social institutions. Drawing on a survey of over 1,000 respondents, I find significant contradiction, ambivalence, and flexibility in conceptions of membership as a yes/no binary (one is or is not part of a racial group) and as a continuum (people are members to greater or lesser degrees). Findings include (1) In the abstract, most respondents reject the idea that race can be continuous or partial. But given concrete scenarios, most people regard racial membership as a continuum; (2) Race shapes race concepts. Black respondents are especially skeptical of a continuous conception of race when given an abstract prompt, but Blacks and all other groups of color are more inclined than Whites to think of racial membership as a continuum in concrete scenarios. Further, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial respondents differ in which dimensions of race they see as continuous; (3) Younger respondents use a continuous lens more; (4) Very conservative and very liberal Americans use a categorical lens more. I consider roots and implications.