Analyzing Recent Trends in Prejudice Toward Blacks: Insights from Latent Class Models

This research note applies latent structure methods to the analysis of a set of survey items designed to measure prejudice toward blacks. Data from 1972 and 1977 national samples are employed to demonstrate the utility of latent structure techniques in analyzing trends over time in prejudiced attitudes. Various latent class models are presented and evaluated, and a four-class quasi-latent structure model is found to best describe the data in both years. This model posits the existence of two classes of "intrinsic ideologues" who exhibit extreme response patterns with certainty in addition to a single latent dichotomous variable that accounts for the association among the indicators. The fit of the model is very good, and changes in prejudice over time are succinctly described with reference to its estimated parameters.