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Allies are frequently studied from the viewpoint of dominant group members. Three studies took a different perspective by investigating how people of color perceive both White allies and allies of color. Study 1 used content analysis of qualitative data from 80 people of color to describe eight major themes of ally perception. With samples of 182 and 195 people of color, Studies 2 and 3 employed exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to identify two subscales, informed action and affirmation, based on the themes. Both independent and paired samples t tests showed that people of color rating a White ally versus an ally of color perceived significantly less willingness to engage racial issues. Findings are discussed in relation to existing allies research.

Predictors of immigration policy attitudes were investigated among members of receiving societies in large national probability samples in 15 Western European countries. We found that a considerable proportion of the variation in immigration policy orientations toward outgroups could be explained by self-and group interests and independent measures of perceived threat. Self-reported racism also contributed independently and significantly to these policy positions. It was concluded that a general framework of proximal self-and group-position indicators (Allport, 1954), perceived threat, and prejudice/racism was useful in predicting the immigrant policy orientations of dominant members of receiving societies across Western Europe. The meaning of these findings for future research on immigration policy orientations across, and especially within, European countries is discussed.

Although dominant group allies have been increasingly studied by social psychologists interested in positive intergroup relations and the promotion of social justice, most of the existing research focuses on self-identified allies or dominant group individuals who are engaging in social justice activities. Little comparative work has examined white allies who were specifically identified as such by people of color. Two studies assessed qualities associated with affirming attitudes (low prejudice, high internal motivation to respond without prejudice, allophilia, and awareness of privilege) and informed action (activism) expected to be distinctively characteristic of allies. Nominated white allies in Study 1 had lower prejudice and higher levels of internal motivation to respond without prejudice than nonnominated white participants; this was replicated in Study 2, which compared nominated "allies" and "friends." In Study 2, nominated white allies rated themselves as lower on prejudice than nominated white friends. They also scored higher on internal motivation to respond without prejudice, understanding of white privilege, and activism than nominated white friends. There were no differences on self-reported allophilia between the two groups. Allies were rated by the people of color who nominated them as higher on qualities of outgroup affirmation and informed action than were nominated friends. Limitations of and implications for these findings are discussed.

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The intergroup contact hypothesis holds that proximate, cooperative interactions on an equalized basis between Blacks and Whites can minimize Whites’ prejudice (Allport, 1954). This experiment investigated the effect of contact between White and Black high school teammates on White student athletes’ racial attitudes. Using the 1996 Social and Group Experiences (SAGE) survey (created by the authors and administered in the Fall of 1996) commissioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the results indicated a significant relationship between amount of contact with Black teammates in high school and racial policy support and affect, depending on the type of sport played. White student athletes playing team sports who had higher percentages of Blacks as high school teammates expressed more policy support for and greater positive affect toward Blacks as a group than did their counterparts playing individual sports. The role of athletic experiences in changing racial attitudes is discussed.

Allies represent an understudied group with whom non-dominant group members may interact in intergroup situations. Allies share qualities with both intergroup friends and activists, but research on similarities and differences between allies and friends, or allies and activists, has not been conducted. The current study investigates how U.S. people of color perceive allies compared to intergroup friends and activists on interpersonal and intergroup behaviors. A sample of 160 people of color attending a small, predominantly White college in the Midwest provided data via an online survey. Participants were randomly assigned to a condition in which they responded to questions about a specific White individual whom they considered an ally, friend, or activist. Analysis of the data indicated that people of color: (1) perceived allies to be more interpersonally supportive than activists; (2) did not report any significant differences between allies and friends for either interpersonal or intergroup support; and (3) saw activists as displaying more formal, confrontational intergroup behaviors designed to effect social change than either allies or friends, but regarded activists and allies as equivalent in informal, non-confrontational intergroup support. The ways in which allies are similar to friends and different from activists are discussed.