One Country, One People? Cultural Variation in the Perceived Strength of Norms Among Racial Ethnic Groups in the United States

The United States (U.S.) is characterized as having relatively weak social norms compared to other countries. However, this characterization may be an oversimplification due to the cultural diversity that exists within the country. Four studies (N = 1,537) examined whether perceived strength of norms vary by racial group. U.S. racial minorities (East Asian, Latinx, and African Americans—but not White immigrants to the U.S.) perceive their racial community’s norms to be significantly stronger than European Americans (Studies 1-4). This difference was not due to increased perceived discrimination (Study 3). Instead, racial minorities’ stronger perceptions of community norms were motivated primarily by interdependence (Studies 1-4) and concerns about being punished by ingroup members for not following norms (Study 4). These findings illustrate differences in norm strength between racial groups in a single country, deepening our understanding of how social norms may vary in a multicultural society.