Abstract
Solidarity between groups who face societal marginalization– stigma-based solidarity– is essential to surviving the harms associated with ethno-nationalist, autocratic regimes. What happens when expectations for stigma-based solidarity are violated? Two studies (N1 = 945, N2 = 1116) examined this question in the context of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Specifically, White (S1 and S2) and Black (S2) women who supported Kamala Harris in the election indicated how betrayed they felt by anti-Harris/pro-Trump voting behavior by members of other marginalized groups (i.e., Arab Americans, Latino men) and/or, members of an advantaged group (i.e., White men). In both studies, White women revealed a pattern of betrayal reflective of relational ties: greater betrayal by White men than Arab Americans/Latinos. Black women revealed a pattern of betrayal reflective of expectations for stigma-based solidarity: greater betrayal by Latinos compared to White men. Betrayal, in turn, correlated with trust in and, to some extent, future solidarity intentions toward the “betraying” outgroup. Together, the findings suggest a need to consider the emergence and potential consequences of stigma-based solidarity betrayal for the promise of cross-group political alliances to challenge societal injustice.Key Takeaways
- In Study 1 (N=945 White women Harris voters), participants reported more betrayal if Trump won versus Harris (p < .001, η²ₚ = .16). Contrary to preregistered expectations, they felt more betrayed by White men than Arab Americans (p < .001, η²ₚ = .11), even though Arab Americans’ anti-Harris behavior was more surprising (p < .001, η²ₚ = .13).
- Study 2 (N=1,116; White and Black women Harris voters) revealed a crossover pattern of betrayal. White women felt more betrayed by White men than Latino men (p < .001, d = -0.36), whereas Black women felt more betrayed by Latino men than White men (p < .001, d = 0.90). Across groups, Latino men’s pro-Trump vote was far more surprising than White men’s (p < .001, η²ₚ = .65).
- Betrayal was linked to reduced trust and cooperation. In Study 1, betrayal correlated with lower trust (r= -.34, p < .001) and lower individual solidarity intentions (r= -.35, p < .001), and modestly with support for harmful surveillance targeting Arab Americans (r= .11, p = .013). In Study 2, participants endorsed more collective solidarity with Latino men than White men overall (p < .001, η²ₚ = .04), yet showed the least willingness to oppose mass deportations relative to other harmful policies (p < .001, η²ₚ = .19).
Author Details
Citation
Shackleford, C., Rabinowitz, M., & Richeson, J.A. (2026). Stigma-based solidarity betrayal: Implications for resistance to the rise of ethno-nationalism in the U.S.. advances.in/psychology, 1, e349228. https://doi.org/10.56296/aip00044
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The present article passed two rounds of double-blind peer review. The review report can be found here.











