Examining the Effect of Race and Racialized Threat on the Social Contagion of Firearm Attitudes among Black Americans 3 views

Public debates about firearms often overlook the social and racial contexts in which firearm attitudes form and spread. Attitudes about guns do not develop in isolation. They emerge through conversations, social networks, and sociopolitical climates that shape the experiences of Black and White Americans in separate ways. This dissertation examines how race and racialized threats influence the social transmission of firearm attitudes across three complementary studies. Study 1 uses cross‑sectional survey data to test whether individuals’ firearm attitudes align with the attitudes of their close peers, and whether these social network effects operate similarly for Black and White Americans. Study 2 draws on pre‑ and post‑2024 U.S. presidential election data to assess whether a period of heightened racial tension increases firearm‑related conversations, particularly within Black communities. Building on these correlational findings, Study 3 experimentally manipulates Black participants’ awareness of the National Guard’s presence in majority‑Black cities to assess whether acute racialized threat amplifies the influence of participants’ real‑world friendship networks on their firearm attitudes. Together, these studies aim to provide evidence for how racialized threat can shape the transmission of firearm attitudes. The findings highlight the importance of social networks and racial context in shaping firearm attitudes.

PHD (Doctor of Philosophy)

Firearms; Race; Social Networks

English

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2026-05-01