White Social Workers' Attitudes about People of Color

Abstract

This study evaluates the utility of a measure of White social workers' attitudes about people of color and provides some preliminary normative data to facilitate more systematic evaluation in practice, education, and research. The Cognitive and Affective Racial Attitudes Scales of the Quick Discrimination Index (QDI) (Ponterotto, Potere & Johnson, 2002) were completed by 257 White members of the National Association of Social Workers. Results strongly support the use of these scales among professional social workers and indicate that most respondents in the study were positive and supportive of people of color and of the concept of multicultural diversity. Nevertheless, a closer examination of specific professional vulnerabilities suggests that these social workers' cognitive attitudes were more positive than their affective attitudes, that they possess the same ambivalence and social distance about race that characterizes contemporary American society, and that 12% do not believe racism is a major social problem in the United States.

Key Words:

• Social workers' attitudes
• people of color
• diversity
• multicultural attitudes