Patterns of implicit and explicit attitudes V: Increases in bias from 2021 to 2025.

From 2021–2025 in 2.8 million U.S. respondents, implicit bias for sexuality, transgender, race, and skin-tone increased by 12–22%, and explicit bias rose by 24% to more than tripling.

• Why it matters: Prior declines in implicit and explicit intergroup bias (2007–2020) had been forecast to keep moving toward neutrality, but it was unclear whether that trajectory persisted after 2020.
• What they did: The study analyzed new 2021–2025 attitude data from U.S. respondents and used breakpoint analyses to compare timing between implicit and explicit measures, also checking patterns in a non-U.S. sample of 274,884.
• The result: Implicit attitudes reversed about 1 year earlier than explicit reports, reversals were widespread across demographics and extended internationally, and exploratory tests suggested no single-cause explanation.

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