Verified by 
According to the Pew Research Center, 12% of new marriages and 6.3% of nuptials in 2013 were interracial. Though not widely studied, recent research revealed that interracial daters are rated as more attractive than intraracial daters (findings I summarized here).
A new study has examined some factors that might account for interracial, compared to intraracial, attraction in young, heterosexual men who are Black and White. To further understand some basic factors that might account for interracial and intraracial attraction, the researchers utilized survey responses from 62 White and 62 Black men who were about 19 years old.
Participants completed a series of survey measures, but also rated the attractiveness of eight online dating profiles comprising women of varying backgrounds (1 Asian, 1 Latina, 3 Black, and 3 White). It should be noted that the researchers were primarily interested in the attractiveness ratings of the White and Black profiles; accordingly, the Asian and Latina profiles were not utilized in comparisons.
Results revealed that close to half (43.5%) of the men studied had been, at some point, in an interracial relationship. In their initial explorations, the authors found that participants in their study demonstrated more intraracial, compared to interracial, attraction. Subsequently, the authors examined the role of contact, finding:
"[T]he more interracial contact that White men reported, the weaker their preference in an intraracial context. However, the more interracial contact Black men reported, the greater their preference in an intraracial context” (p. 11).
The authors further examined interracial and intraracial attraction by examining two different cultural ideologies. The first was the color-blind racial ideology, which they abbreviated CBRI. As they explained:
“Because CBRI espouses the belief that race does not matter, it, in effect, endorses…hierarchal structure…As such, CBRI is a legitimizing ideology that perpetuates group separation and the subordination of people of color by denying the impact of race in society (Neville, Awad, Brooks, Michelle, & Bluemel, 2013) ” (p. 4).
The second cultural ideology they explored was multicultarlism. They explained this as:
“...a hierarchy-attenuating ideology; it emphasizes equality across group membership, a contrast with CBRI. Multiculturalism is not akin to having little or no prejudice. In fact to suggest that one is without bias is to begin to endorse a CBRI. Instead, multiculturalism, as an ideology, demonstrates an effortful positive evaluation of group differences” (p. 4).
Through analysis the authors found that these differing ideologies did partially explain ratings of interracial and intraracial attractiveness. Specifically, they found that Black and White men who reported stronger identification with CBRI also reported lower levels of interracial attraction, while Black and White men who reported stronger identification with multiculturalism reported higher levels of interracial attraction.
Collectively, the authors’ findings offer insight into what may be driving evaluations of the attractiveness of another person. As sexual racism has become a topic of conversation, and even the subject of a recent "Daily Show" segment, these findings are timely in that they help others understand factors that might deter from, or encourage, sexual racism.
Dr. Sean M. Horan is a Communication professor. Follow him on Twitter @TheRealDrSean. His expertise is communication across relationships, with topics including deception, affection, workplace romance, sexual risk/safety, attraction, deceptive affection, and initial impressions. His work/commentary has appeared on CNN, ABC, Fox, The Wall Street Journal, and more.
Sources
- Brooks, J. E., & Neville, H. A. (2016). Interracial attraction among college men: The influence of ideologies, familiarity, and similarity. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. doi: 10.1177/0265407515627508
- Pew (2016, April). Interracial marriage: Who is ‘marrying out’? Article retrieved on April, 25, 2016 from: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/06/12/interracial-marriage-wh…
