Dr. Andrew Thompson’s research examines how public perceptions of racial demographic change shape democratic and anti-democratic sentiments in the United States. Building on this foundation, our project investigated how such perceptions influence partisan identification as well as contribute to extremist rhetoric. Using experimental survey data, we tested the effects of racial threat primes—information about shifting racial demographics—on party affiliation as an outcome variable. Results indicated that demographic change narratives shift partisan identification, with Latino respondents leaning more Democratic and Asian respondents identifying more with the Republican Party.

Complementing this quantitative analysis, we conducted a thematic study of white supremacist discourse on the website Stormfront, focusing on reactions to Barack Obama’s 2008 election and comparing them with a concurrent analysis of Tea Party rhetoric. We found common themes of resistance to minority-focused government programs, portrayals of Obama as advancing unjust reparations, and calls to organize against political elites.

Together, these findings illustrate how narratives of racial demographic change can reinforce anti-democratic attitudes, shaping both everyday political identification and extremist mobilization.