Table 4.

Effects of Verbal Ability on Racial Policy Attitudes

Variable	LOR (SE)		OR(SE)		Marginal Effects (SE)
Redistributive policy attitudes
Support government aid for blacks
Linear term specification	.051	(.038)	1.052	(.040)	.006	(.004)
Dummy variable specification
2nd ability tertile (versus 1st tertile)	–.260	(.080)***	.771	(.062)***	–.029	(.009)***
3rd ability tertile (versus 1st tertile)	.214	(.088)*	1.239	(.110)*	.024	(.010)*
Support school busing programs
Linear term specification	–.191	(.027)***	.826	(.022)***	–.032	(.004)***
Dummy variable specification
2nd ability tertile (versus 1st tertile)	–.515	(.058)***	.597	(.035)***	–.087	(.010)***
3rd ability tertile (versus 1st tertile)	–.335	(.068)***	.715	(.048)***	–.056	(.011)***
Support racial preferences in employment
Linear term specification	–.146	(.046)**	.865	(.040)***	–.015	(.005)**
Dummy variable specification
2nd ability tertile (versus 1st tertile)	–.719	(.101)***	.487	(.049)***	–.074	(.010)***
3rd ability tertile (versus 1st tertile)	–.181	(.107)†	.835	(.089)†	–.018	(.011)†
Opportunity-enhancing policy attitudes
Support open housing laws	.037	(.025)	1.038	(.026)	.008	(.006)
Support tax incentives for business in black areas	–.079	(.134)	.924	(.123)	–.018	(.030)
Support spending more on black schools	.133	(.146)	1.143	(.167)	.027	(.030)

Notes: Data come from white respondents to the 1972-2010 waves/ballots of the General Social Survey that included racial attitude items and the verbal ability test. Effect estimates are based on logistic regression models that control for age, period, cohort, geographic region, education, father's education, mother's education, and father's occupational status. Results are combined estimates from ten multiple imputation data sets.

^†p < .10

^*p < .05

^**p < .01

^***p < .001 (two-sided tests of no effect)