Black Lives Matter Protests Temporarily Reduced Implicit Racial Bias

New research shows a rapid but short-lived decline in subconscious racial bias following the protests, with no lasting impact on explicit bias.

The death of George Floyd in May 2020 sparked widespread Black Lives Matter protests, leading to a temporary decline in implicit racial bias among white Americans.
Researchers used data from Project Implicit, Google Trends, and protest databases to measure changes in racial bias throughout 2020.
Implicit bias against Black people decreased significantly immediately after the protests began but gradually returned to pre-protest levels by the end of the year.
Explicit bias, or consciously held racial attitudes, showed no significant long-term change following the protests.
Study authors suggest that lasting reductions in racial bias require sustained changes in social and cultural environments, including policy reforms.