Michael W. Kraus

Professor of Psychology and Morton O. Schapiro Faculty Fellow, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University

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About Michael

Kraus' research focuses on the beliefs, behaviors, and emotional states that maintain and perpetuate societal inequity. Overarching themes in Kraus' writings include why people use power unethically, why everyday Americans overestimate racial inequality in society, and how people can resist psychological tendencies to downplay and dismiss societal racism. Kraus has consulted with local and national political activists and leaders in efforts to bring research expertise to grassroots efforts promoting greater societal equity.

Contributions | No Jargon Podcast | In the News | Publications

Contributions

Why We Should Talk about Racism—And How to Do It

Key Findings Brief, February 2022

In the News

Opinion: "Before Unity, Lamont Must Confront Challenges Facing CT," Michael W. Kraus, The CT Mirror, February 2, 2023.

Opinion: "How American Mythologies Fuel Anti-Asian Violence," Michael W. Kraus, Yale Insights, March 3, 2021.

Opinion: "How White Managers Can Respond to Anti-Black Violence," Michael W. Kraus, Yale Insights, June 1, 2020.

Quoted by Daisy Grewal in "Americans Are Fast to Judge Social Class," The Scientific American, December 3, 2019.

Publications

"Testing the Efficacy of Three Informational Interventions for Reducing Misperceptions of the Black–White Wealth Gap" (with Bennett Callaghan, Leilah Harouni, Cydney H. Dupre, and Jennifer A. Richeson). PNAS (2021).

Uses data to help CT residents to be more accurate about estimates of the Black-White wealth inequality and the causes of this inequality.

"The Misperception of Racial Economic Inequality" (with Ivuoma N. Onyeador and Natalie M. Daumeyer). Perspectives on Psychological Science 14, no. 6 (2019).

Provides evidence showing why and how Americans tend to overestimate racial progress in society. Considers the psychology underlying this collective ignorance.

"Evidence for the Reproduction of Social Class in Brief Speech" (with Brittany Torrez, Jun Won Park, and Fariba Ghayebi). PNAS (2019).

Finds that subtle vocal cues bias hiring decisions against low socioeconomic status job applicants. Examines how the tendency to accurately perceive the social class position of targets, by virtue of listening to their brief speech, can constrain economic mobility and perpetuate inequality.