Affirmative Action by number of black acquaintances 1

Running Head: AFFIRMATIVE ACTION BY BLACK ACQUAINTANCES

Affirmative Action by number of Black Acquaintances

Jay Davis

Lar Ry Cosey

Tuskegee University
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Hypothesis
The bivariate graph shows the relationship between ones opinion on affirmative action by the
number of black acquaintances. In other words this graph shows how the number of black
acquaintances, that whites associate with, can alter their opinion on affirmative action. The
number of black acquaintances is the independent variable and affirmative action is the
dependent variable. I concluded the number of black acquaintances causes a change in
affirmative action and it isn’t possible that affirmative action could cause a change in the number
of black acquaintances. The opinions listed are strongly support, support, oppose and strongly
oppose.

The numbers of acquaintances are 0, 1, 2-5, 6-10, and 10 or more. In the multivariate table the
independent variable is the number of acquaintances and the dependent variable is the income.
The control variable is race. The income ranges from $24,000, $25,000 to $39,999, $40,000 to
$59,999 and $60,000 or more. What we thought would be the effect is that the more black
acquaintances one has the more they will believe in affirmative action. It seemed as if the higher
the income the less black acquaintances ones opinion on affirmative action was either strongly
support or support.
 Rationale
I believe the independent variable will affect the dependent variable. I say this because it’s only
possible that the number of black acquaintances causes a change in affirmative action and it isn’t
possible that affirmative action could cause a change in the number of black acquaintances. It
doesn’t make sense the other way around.

The control variable will influence the bivariate relationship. In other words the control variable
will have an effect on the bivariate relationship as a whole. Race has an effect on affirmative
action because depending on one’s race will or should tell how they feel about affirmative action.
Race has an effect on the number of acquaintances because different races have different
preferences on what race it is they want to acquaint or associate with.

Affirmative Action by number of acquaintances 3

Results
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Discussion
In the bivariate table based on the data, it is shown that people with 10 or more black
acquaintances strongly support affirmative action. 49.5 percent of people that had 10 or more
black acquaintances strongly supported affirmative action. That’s more than 15 of the 36
respondents who took the survey. Only 35.7% of the respondents “support” affirmative action
that had no number of black acquaintances. That’s more than 15 people of the 20 whom were
surveyed. 24.4 percent of people with more than 10 black acquaintances opposed affirmative
action. However 21.1 percent of the surveyors strongly opposed affirmative action. These people
had 10 or more black acquaintances. I was correct in my hypothesis; I believed that the more
black acquaintances one had the more they would strongly support. In my bivariate graph, that
has definitely been proven. I really believe that people should learn to get along and mingle with
other races and take the initiative to learn more about the person that’s next to them. You may
never know what that person has gone through, what that person has, or who that person is.

In our multivariate table we added race as our control variable. We sought how many people
“strongly supported, supported, opposed, or strongly opposed” affirmative action by number of
black acquaintances. 45 male respondents with 10 or more black acquaintances strongly
supported affirmative action. 54.9 male respondents with zero black acquaintances supported
affirmative action. 30.2 male respondents with 10 or more black acquaintances opposed
affirmative action. And 30.7 of the male respondents strongly opposed affirmative action. On
behalf of the female respondents 52.6 of them with 10 or more black acquaintances strongly
supported affirmative action. 44.5 percent of the female respondents supported affirmative action
that had 10 or more black acquaintances. However 34.6 of the female respondents who had no
black acquaintances strongly opposed affirmative action.

It is concluded that there were more female respondents that believed in or who were for
affirmative action, compared to the male respondents. This was very ironic to me because I
would have concluded (without any evidence) that there was going to be more males who
strongly supported or supported affirmative action. Instead here, the data shows the total
opposite.

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Appendix
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