Asian, Arab and Latino Americans may face more discrimination when seeking jobs that emphasize stereotypically American characteristics because they are deemed to be culturally foreign, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Researchers found this pattern of discrimination across several experiments, regardless of whether the proposed job applicants had foreign-language first names or Anglicized first names. The findings also were supported through an analysis of hundreds of employment discrimination lawsuits filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The research was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
"It's important to consider perceptions of cultural foreignness in our understanding of how different racial groups experience discrimination," said lead researcher Terrènce Pope, PhD, a quantitative researcher who received their doctorate at the University of Washington.
In an online experiment, more than 1,000 white American participants were presented with a job ad that emphasized stereotypically American characteristics, including strong English skills and familiarity with American customs and traditions. The participants then viewed similar resumes with candidates who had common Asian American, Latino American or Black American last names and Anglicized first names.
The participants rated the Asian and Latino American applicants as less hirable and more culturally foreign than the Black American applicant. The participants selected the Asian American applicant (21%) or the Latino American applicant (23%) at lower rates compared with the Black American applicant (57%).
A second study with 500 white undergraduate students at the University of Washington had similar findings with Asian American applicants perceived as significantly less hirable for a stereotypically American job than Black American candidates.
In two additional experiments with MBA or undergraduate student participants of various races, the job candidates included both male and female names. The racial or ethnic groups of the candidates also were expanded to include common Asian, Arab, Latino, Black and white American names.
Asian, Arab and Latino American applicants were perceived as more culturally foreign and less hirable for a stereotypically American job relative to Black American applicants, who in turn were perceived as less hirable than white applicants.
The experiments examined hypothetical hiring decisions as an analogy for real-world decisions that often include many other factors besides the race or ethnicity associated with candidates' names.
The researchers also reviewed 330 employment discrimination lawsuits that were litigated by the EEOC from 1997-2006. Among Asian, Arab and Latino American plaintiffs, a significant proportion of the cases (ranging from 31%-53% for the different racial groups) involved cultural foreignness stereotypes, and nearly all of those cases were categorized by the EEOC as national origin discrimination rather than racial discrimination.
The researchers recommended that efforts to reduce stereotyping in hiring decisions should include perceptions of cultural foreignness as a possible factor.
"Programs and policies that intend to reduce discrimination should avoid adopting one-size-fits-all solutions because racial and ethnic groups may experience discrimination in different ways and in different contexts," Pope said.
Article: "Applicants of Color Encounter Discrimination Based on Cultural Foreignness Stereotypes in the Labor Market," Terrènce Pope, PhD, University of Washington, Linda Zou, PhD, University of Maryland, Fasika Hailu, MS, Laura Banham, MA, Mona El-Hout, PhD, and Sapna Cheryan, PhD, University of Washington; Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, published online April 30, 2026.
