+Multiculturalism and Assimilation

Wolsko, Park, & Judd (2006)

Topic: Diversity-Related Beliefs

Instructions:

Please rate your level of agreement on the following items on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).

Response Options:  

1. Strongly disagree
2. Disagree
3. Somewhat disagree
4. Neither agree nor disagree
5. Somewhat agree
6. Agree
7. Strongly agree

Items:

Multiculturalism 

1. We must appreciate the unique characteristics of different ethnic groups in order to have a cooperative society.
2. Learning about the ways that different ethnic groups resolve conflict will help us develop a more harmonious society.
3. In order to live in a cooperative society, everyone must learn the unique histories and cultural experiences of different ethnic groups.
4. When interacting with a member of an ethnic group that is different from your own, it is very important to take into account the history and cultural traditions of that person’s ethnic group.
5. If we want to help create a harmonious society, we must recognize that each ethnic group has the right to maintain its own unique traditions.
6. I would like my children to be exposed to the language and cultural traditions of different ethnic groups.

Assimilation 

1. People from all ethnic backgrounds should embrace the American dream of hard work and success.
2. We should have a single unified language in this country—Standard English.
3. The established system of government in this country can serve all the people well, so long as minority group members are willing to work within its structure.
4. In order to have a smoothly functioning society, members of ethnic minorities must better adapt to the ways of mainstream American culture.
5. Children from all ethnic groups should be taught to adopt mainstream American values from an early age.
6. Members of ethnic minority groups should try harder to learn about western capitalism to help them succeed in corporate America.

Category Differentiation

1. Different ethnic groups often have very different approaches to life.
2. Belonging to one ethnic group versus another profoundly shapes what your life is like.
3. Because people come from different ethnic backgrounds, they often behave very differently.
4. People should realize that racial and ethnic categories carry very little real meaning—we are all equals. (*R)

Citation:

Link to PDF:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bernadette_Park/publication/226220374_Considering_the_Tower_of_Babel_Correlates_of_Assimilation_and_Multiculturalism_Among_Ethnic_Minority_and_Majority_Groups_in_the_United_States/links/5527e2af0cf29b22c9b984f9.pdf Links to an external site.

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