THE MAJORITY of people can be persuaded to accept that structural racism exists, and of the need to take action, according to a new report.

The study, based on 20,000 participants, found there was a large ‘movable middle’ in society who were open to persuasion if the story connected with them.

The Testing Times report by the Reframing Race charity, also found that jargon-filled narratives can be counterproductive, while soft ‘status quo’ messages which emphasised words like ‘inclusive’ also tended to fall flat.

Instead, researchers discovered that strong messages which “have more powerful and precise things to say about ‘race’ and racism” were better received by people of all backgrounds.

The example of job discrimination was a ‘blockbuster’ in helping people agree that all ethnic groups were as capable as each other, because most people have the experience of sending off a CV and being rejected.

CV discrimination “catches racism red-handed” and “gives the message the feel of a compelling story – with a plot, characters and a powerful ending”, the report says.

When researchers linked this with disproportionate black maternity deaths, the combination of two examples pushed people towards recognising that structural racism was real, with one statistic ‘opening the door’ for the other to be accepted.

While 4 in 10 people think certain races work harder than others, 9 in 10 people agree on our shared humanity and treating others with dignity.

That suggests up to three quarters of people could be persuaded of the need for solutions to end racism.

Nina Kelly, co-author and Director of Content and Communications at Reframing Race told The Voice: “What people understand is very different depending on where they begin.

“So I understand that black men in London being stopped at 10 times the rate of their white counterparts is proof of structural racism, but to other people they see that statistic as an indication of criminality.

“We wanted to know how people are receiving certain information, and know what makes a difference because you can describe the same thing and have completely different reactions from people. 

“I really wanted to understand whether what we were saying in the race equality sector was landing with people, whether it was persuading them, bringing them powerfully to our cause. And if it wasn’t, which I suspected, in some instances, it wasn’t, what could we say?

“With structural racism, if something has been constructed by people, then people can redesign it, and create it in a more equitable fashion.”

Savanta ComRes polled 20,000 people across all backgrounds in England and Wales between March and July after screening out those with deeply-held racist views and true-believers in racial justice, to focus on persuadables.

Researchers also used 40 race equality campaigners, who they call ‘reframers’, to see if messages can be designed in such a way to “feel comfortable in the mouths of the people that are going to say them as well.”

The study found there was a higher level of support for reparations for slavery when the word ‘compensation’ was used instead, allowing the message to touch feelings and values of fairness and justice. There was also popular support for diversifying the school curriculum.

However, terms like ‘race inequality’ had a negative impact because participants associated this with a ‘race equality industry’, which created a barrier in peoples’ minds to thinking about the issues. Bad news statistics can also create “fatalism” which dampened support for anti-racist ideas.

‘Status quo’ messages like “we all deserve to be given a fair chance to succeed” also backfired because it lacked boldness and precision.

Researchers said the use of metaphors proved better at growing support for anti-racist policies by telling a story that moved people away from believing that racism only happens between individuals, and towards seeing racism as systemic and political.

Lifelong race equality campaigner and co-founder of Operation Black Vote, Lord Simon Woolley, welcomed the research but added that people should “never be afraid to talk about uncomfortable truths.”

He added: “After the largest and longest race equality protest [Black Lives Matter] we saw the Sewell Report sought to deny the existence of institutional racism.

“Our history teaches us we’ve got to use a multitude of strategies to deal with systemic racism, and confront those challenges with a clarity of purpose, otherwise absolutely nothing changes.”

Dr Wanda Wyporska, ex-executive director of the Equality Trust, commented: “We need stats and evidence, but we also need to make the economic case for change in a way that engages people, not as something abstract.”

The study, written by Kelly and Dr Sanjiv Lingayah, is the first of its kind on race, and was supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

It follows previous reframing narrative studies on promoting anti-poverty, the economy and equal marriage. 

Researchers plan to launch a toolkit and resources in the spring so that campaigners can put the results into action.

For more information visit: www.reframingrace.org