IMPLICIT AND EXPLICIT ATTITUDES TOWARD AFRICAN AMERICANS AND BARACK OBAMA DID NOT SUBSTANTIVELY CHANGE DURING OBAMA'S PRESIDENCY

Barack Obama is perhaps the most well-known exemplar of African Americans. However, the extent to which he has impacted attitudes toward African Americans remains unclear. Using cross-sectional data (N > 2,200,000), the present study examined changes in racial attitudes and attitudes toward Obama during the first seven years of Obama's presidency. Attitudes showed no evidence of substantive change. After accounting for shifts in sample demographics, results showed an increase in implicit anti-Black attitudes and no change in explicit anti-Black attitudes. Participation date explained only 0.01% of the variance in implicit attitudes. Corresponding analyses of attitudes toward Obama (N > 210,000) indicated no change in implicit attitudes but increasing negativity toward Obama in explicit attitudes. Date accounted for only 0.01% of explicit attitude variance. Daily and monthly means across both samples were largely unrelated. Attitudes toward African Americans in general and Obama specifically showed little change or correspondence during Obama's presidency.