Open to Diversity: Openness to Experience Predicts Multiculturalism and Colorblindness Through Perspective Taking

The present research examines the influence of personality on ideologies about diversity in society. In two studies (N = 668), we test whether Openness to Experience predicts beliefs in multiculturalism and colorblindness, and whether these relationships are mediated by perspective-taking tendencies. In Study 1, Openness positively predicted multiculturalism but negatively predicted colorblindness through ethnic perspective taking – findings that were independent of empathy, age, gender, and race/ethnicity. In Study 2, we attempted to replicate and extend our findings by using different measures of multiculturalism and colorblindness and a more general, interpersonal operationalization of perspective taking. Results indicate Openness positively predicted both multiculturalism and colorblindness through interpersonal perspective taking (also independent of age, gender, and race/ethnicity), suggesting the pattern of findings varied as a function of perspective-taking type. Implications for the complexity of the Openness dimension and future research directions are discussed.