Race-Related Factors and Life Satisfaction Among African Americans

Abstract

The objective of this article is to examine the race-related factors of racial discrimination, racial context, and having White friends and their impact on life satisfaction. Racial context is an environmentalfactor that may condition Blacks in how they deal with being Black in a White society, as might having White friends. Two hypotheses are presented: (a) racial discrimination detracts from life satisfaction and (b) White racial contexts and having Whitefriends positively contribute to African American life satisfaction. Data were collected from African American adults from the Detroit area. The results of this study provide some support for the hypotheses. Blacks who experience discrimination have lower levels of life satisfaction. Those who attended grammar and high school in predominantly White contexts have higher levels of life satisfaction. Having White friends was not significant. Implications of these results are discussed.