Praying together, rather than living or learning together, may be the primary way for Caucasian Americans and Americans of other races to become comfortable with each other, according to a UNT study.

George Yancey, assistant professor of sociology, found that Americans of European descent who are the racial minorities in their churches exhibit lower levels of social distance from African American, Hispanic and Asian groups and are more supportive of government programs aimed at those groups than Americans of European descent who don't attend multiracial churches.

Yancey conducted the national study of Americans who attend multiracial churches with Michael Emerson, associate professor of sociology at Rice University, and Karen Chai, a doctoral candidate at the City University of New York. The research was funded by a $484,884 grant from the Lilly Endowment.

"We've long had the idea that contact with those of other races is good because it breaks down racial stereotypes and hostility based on those stereotypes," Yancey says. "I had observed, however, that different messages were coming out of mixed-race churches than mixed-race neighborhoods, so I decided to investigate."

He defines a multiracial church as one in which no more than 80 percent of the congregation is of the same race. He surveyed 115 multiracial churches for this study.

Yancey surveyed 233 Caucasians, 84 African Americans, 50 Hispanics and 15 Asian Americans who attend multiracial churches, and compared their responses to those of 1,661 Caucasians, 321 African Americans, 308 Hispanics and 213 Asian Americans who don't attend multiracial churches. Those attending the multiracial churches were asked if they were the racial minorities in their churches — that is, if less than 50 percent of other church members were of their race.

The survey respondents were asked questions about social distance from members of other races. For example, they were asked if they would be upset if one of their children wanted to marry someone of another race and if they would be willing to live in integrated neighborhoods.

The respondents were also presented with stereotypical statements about certain racial groups. They were asked if they strongly, moderately or slightly agreed or disagreed with the statements.

Finally, Yancey judged the respondents' political racial attitudes by asking if they supported affirmative action policies, reduction of legal immigration and tax breaks for businesses in minority areas.

The results, he says, suggest that Caucasians who attend multiracial churches and are the racial minorities in their churches are more supportive of African Americans, Hispanics and Asians than Caucasians who don't attend multiracial churches.

"They demonstrate political support for racial minorities since they favor tax breaks for minority neighborhoods, affirmative action and legal immigration. Immigration is an important political issue for them," Yancey says. "They also exhibit lower levels of social distance in their acceptance of interracial marriage, and are more willing to live in neighborhoods where they are racial minorities."

Caucasians who attend multiracial churches with more than 50 percent Caucasian membership also exhibit lower levels of social distance than Caucasians who don't attend multiracial churches. However, "they do not illustrate the sympathy to the political concerns of minority group members that those who are racial minorities in their churches display," Yancey says.

He says the family atmospheres of many churches explain why their Caucasian members are more accepting of less social distance between racial groups.

"These are people you sit next to every Sunday and worship with. It's hard to forbid their son from dating your daughter because of race," he says. "Being socially comfortable with those of different races is increasingly important as we become a more integrated society."

Yancey notes that Caucasians may become racial minorities in certain social situations, as the 2000 census indicated that the number of Asians, African Americans and Hispanic Americans is increasing rapidly.

The African Americans, Asians and Hispanics who attend multiracial churches did not show more or less support for minority business tax breaks and affirmative action than those who attend less integrated churches. They also did not exhibit lower levels of social distance, except that Hispanics who are the racial minorities in their churches were more likely to support living in a racially diverse neighborhood than other Hispanics.

However, African Americans who attend multiracial churches where African Americans are less than 50 percent of the congregation were more supportive of legal immigration, Yancey says. He notes that interacting with those of other races may have exposed these African Americans to immigration issues.

"Most blacks are not first-, second- or third-generation Americans like many Hispanics and Asian Americans," he says. "Exposure to Hispanic and Asian Americans can help both American whites and blacks to be sensitive to immigration issues."

Yancey plans to next compare the different types of multiracial churches to discover how the type of church and the racial composition of its members shapes social and political racial attitudes and stereotypes. His research will appear in an upcoming issue of Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion.

BY NANCY KOLSTI nkolsti@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• UNT approves $344.17 million operating budget for 2001-02
• Regents approve system, university appointments
• UNT welcomes expanded e-trans
• TAMS a family affair for many
• Church membership may bridge social distance gap between races, study says
• MC/PAIS gets a name change
• Program combines business, music, journalism
• Faculty members honored at convocation
• Faculty handbook available online
• Faculty Senate meets Sept. 12
• Regents set 2001-02 holiday schedule

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