The Ghost of Moynihan: The Role of Racial Attitudes and Traditional Family Values in Attitudes Toward Childcare

Abstract

It is widely known amongst scholars of public opinion that race-targeted policies prompt opposition from individuals that carry negative racial attitudes. However, much less is known regarding the role of race and policies that are not race-targeted. This paper argues that a non-race-targeted issue can trigger racial attitudes if that policy issue can be connected to some sort of racial myth. Using GSS data from the year 2012, this paper finds that negative racial attitudes are significantly correlated with opposition toward childcare. This paper argues that the relationship between racial attitudes and attitudes toward childcare is a function of the myth, tracing back to the Moynihan Report, that the black family is dysfunctional.

Keywords: childcare, racial attitudes, black family