Implicit bias towards people with disability in Australia: relationship with personal values

This article collected the first data in Australia on implicit bias towards people with disability. Implicit (or unconscious) biases are the beliefs people have that they are not consciously aware of. These implicit biases can affect decision making, actions, and behaviours towards others and have been linked to discrimination. 

The article found that 80% of participants negatively implicitly stereotyped people with disability as incompetent, and 75% of participants negatively implicitly stereotyped people with disability as cold. This represented a stereotype of contempt and disgust towards people with disability. 

Personal values were linked to implicit biases. Participants who valued universalism values, such as equality and justice for all, had lower negative implicit bias. Participants who valued security, such as maintaining current societal structures, had greater negative implicit bias towards people with disability. 

The article highlights the importance of targeting implicit attitudes and stereotypes alongside personal values in reducing discrimination and improving experiences of people with disability. Policymakers could use the findings to develop community strategies that target awareness and training about implicit biases and values across education, employment, and healthcare settings. Policymakers should also consider how implicit biases, and organizational values may be inadvertently impacting decisions, structures, and services that affect people with disability.