Vlasta Rasocha- Hidden Identities and Stereotype Persistence

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With the generous support from The Europe Center’s Graduate Student Grant Competition, we advanced the groundwork for a field experiment on discrimination and stereotype persistence aAecting the Roma—the largest ethnic minority in Europe—in the labor markets in the Czech Republic. The project focuses on a key dynamic that impacts minority groups facing discrimination: when minority members anticipate discrimination, they often strategically “hide” or de-emphasize minority status (for example by altering résumé content or speech). Crucially, such hiding may be selective—more common among higher-ability minority members—thereby reducing the visibility of minority success and potentially reinforcing negative stereotype and discriminatory behavior.

Project overview and research aims

The project’s central hypothesis is that selective concealment of minority status can contribute to stereotype persistence. If higher-ability Roma jobseekers conceal identity markers at higher rates than lower-ability Roma jobseekers, outside observers (including employers) may encounter fewer visible examples of Roma success. Over time, this can sustain or even worsen inaccurate beliefs about the average ability, skills, or reliability of Roma jobseekers, which then feeds back into discriminatory hiring decisions. The planned field experiments are designed to answer three core questions:

1. Do members of the Roma ethnic minority take steps to hide their identity to avoid discrimination?
2. Are higher-ability minority members more likely to hide their identity than lower-ability minority members, reducing the visibility of minority success in society?
3. To what extent does this dynamic contribute to stereotype persistence and discrimination?

To address these questions, we plan to conduct a large-scale field experiment with minority jobseekers and employers. This structure is intended to study both jobseekers’ decision to conceal identity and employers’ formation of beliefs and stereotypes.

Project progress

With Europe Center support, we hired local research assistants in the Czech Republic with close familiarity with Roma communities. With their involvement, we are currently on-the-ground in the Czech Republic, conducting an experimental pilot, focused on the recruitment of minority jobseekers and finalizing the experimental procedures for the jobseeker experiment.

As part of the pilot, we are conducting a test of recruitment methods. We are comparing the costs and feasibility of door-to-door recruitment, managed with support of the local research assistants, with recruitment over social media and through the informal networks of our local partners. This piloting is crucial to ensure that we can eAectively recruit participants at scale.

Second, we are conducting a test of survey instruments and experimental procedures to ensure that they are well-adapted and refined for the local context. We are working closely with our local research team and partners to ensure that the materials are accessible and available both in Czech and Romani. We are also piloting the technical and practical aspects of collecting audio responses to interview-style prompts. This piloting helps identify confusing items, improves question wording, and ensures that the tasks capture meaningful behavioral measures rather than artifacts of misunderstanding or platform frictions.