Young Adults’ Perceptions of Interracial, Interpolitical, and Interreligious Romantic Relationships
Poster Number
095
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Psychology
Faculty Mentor
Merry Sleigh, Ph.D.
Abstract
Although much is known about interracial relationships, research on other relationship pairings is limited. Thus, we examined adults’ perceptions of interracial, interreligious, and interpolitical relationships. We hypothesized that interreligious relationships would be viewed less favorably than interpolitical and interracial. Participants were 100 young adults with a mean age of 20.42 (SD = 3.71). Sixty percent were Caucasian, 30% were African American, and the remainder reported other ethnicities. Participants responded to a scale that assessed attitudes toward interracial romantic relationships. Participants then responded to the same scale; however, “interracial” was replaced with “interreligious,” where interreligious was defined as two people of different religious belief systems. We then took the same questions and used the term “interpolitical,” defining it as two people with different political belief systems. Participants also ranked how important race, politics, and religion were when choosing a romantic partner. Results revealed that race, gender, GPA, and SES were not highly influential in predicting young adults’ attitudes toward different types of relationship; however, political ideology and religious beliefs were. Young adults had generally positive attitudes toward all of the relationships; they were least negative toward interracial and most concerned about interreligious pairings. These young adults felt that their parents would agree with their stance on religious similarities but would be less accepting of interracial relationships than their generation. These findings contribute to our understanding of the experiences of different societal groups and provide one of the first insights into perceptions of interreligious and interpolitical romantic relationships.
Course Assignment
PSYC 302 – Sleigh
Previously Presented/Performed?
Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) Annual Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, March 2018
Start Date
20-4-2018 2:15 PM
End Date
20-4-2018 4:15 PM
Young Adults’ Perceptions of Interracial, Interpolitical, and Interreligious Romantic Relationships
Richardson Ballroom
Although much is known about interracial relationships, research on other relationship pairings is limited. Thus, we examined adults’ perceptions of interracial, interreligious, and interpolitical relationships. We hypothesized that interreligious relationships would be viewed less favorably than interpolitical and interracial. Participants were 100 young adults with a mean age of 20.42 (SD = 3.71). Sixty percent were Caucasian, 30% were African American, and the remainder reported other ethnicities. Participants responded to a scale that assessed attitudes toward interracial romantic relationships. Participants then responded to the same scale; however, “interracial” was replaced with “interreligious,” where interreligious was defined as two people of different religious belief systems. We then took the same questions and used the term “interpolitical,” defining it as two people with different political belief systems. Participants also ranked how important race, politics, and religion were when choosing a romantic partner. Results revealed that race, gender, GPA, and SES were not highly influential in predicting young adults’ attitudes toward different types of relationship; however, political ideology and religious beliefs were. Young adults had generally positive attitudes toward all of the relationships; they were least negative toward interracial and most concerned about interreligious pairings. These young adults felt that their parents would agree with their stance on religious similarities but would be less accepting of interracial relationships than their generation. These findings contribute to our understanding of the experiences of different societal groups and provide one of the first insights into perceptions of interreligious and interpolitical romantic relationships.
