Racial and ethnic behavioral gaps match the gender gap in the US, PNAS study finds
Mar 3rd 2026
A nationally balanced PNAS experiment found differences by race and ethnicity in competitiveness and risk tolerance as large as the male-female gap, and showed the usual gender gap does not hold among Black participants.
- Large US experiment of 2,468 adults was balanced across Black, Hispanic, and White men and women to measure competitiveness and risk tolerance.
- Black and Hispanic participants chose the competitive payment option at 56 percent and 58 percent respectively, while White participants did so 47 percent of the time.
- White participants were about nine percentage points more willing to take financial risks than Black and Hispanic participants.
- Across the full sample, men were 16 percent more likely to pick the competitive option and nearly 10 percent more tolerant of risk than women.
- The typical gender gap in competitiveness and risk tolerance did not appear among Black participants.
- Authors note they used broad US Census race categories, do not claim causes, and call for more diverse, fully reported samples in behavioral research.