Perceived Zero-Sum Competition Between Asian Americans and Black Americans

The 2023 Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action revealed the frayed relations between Asian and Black Americans. The gains that Black Americans have made were seen as coming at the expense of Asian Americans, suggesting a potential zero-sum perception. Three studies ( N = 1,475 CloudResearch online participants) examined the extent to which Asian, Black, and White Americans perceived a zero-sum competition between Asian and Black people. Studies 1 and 2 showed that Asian and White participants were more likely than Black participants to endorse the zero-sum belief that Asian Americans are losing to Black Americans. Studies 2 and 3 showed that participants perceived Asian Americans as losing more to White than Black people. Study 3 found that when Asian Americans perceived the Asian-Black relations in zero-sum terms, they were less supportive of Black people and perceived less support from Black people, but belief in Asian-White competition predicted stronger pro-Black sentiments.