Advantaged groups are more variable than disadvantaged groups: The case of preferences and habits

Being member of a disadvantaged group is a threatening experience. One way to deal with this threat is to increase similarity and cohesiveness with other group members. Applied to habits and preferences, we hypothesized that a disadvantaged group would be more homogeneous than an advantaged group. We conducted a questionnaire study in which we asked members of an advantaged and members of a disadvantaged group to report their habits and preferences, as well as other information about themselves. As predicted, we consistently found a difference in variability between the two groups. Members of the disadvantaged group were more similar to each other than members of the advantaged group with regard to restaurant attendance, the number of books they read, the types of sports they prefer, the types of books/magazines they read, the radio station they prefer, and the number of children they have. These results are discussed in light of the out-group homogeneity effect and with reference to within-group pressures to conformity.