Chapter 7: Does Conscious, Social, and Unconscious Bias Influence Employment Decisions about Military Veterans?

Research has shown that there are often conflicting stereotypes about military veterans (Stone, C. et al., 2017; Stone, C., & Stone, D., 2015). For instance, veterans are stereotyped as having mental health problems, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, unpredictable behaviors, and difficulties transitioning from military to civilian organizations (Schreger & Kimble, 2017). However, recent surveys revealed that veterans are often stereotyped positively today, and the majority of people in the U.S. believe that veterans are more honorable, patriotic, hard-working, and disciplined than their civilian counterparts (Pew Research Center, 2019). Given these findings, the present study examined the degree to which hiring managers were biased in favor of veterans. In particular, it assessed the extent to which hiring managers’ conscious, social, and unconscious biases favored veterans and influenced employment decisions about them. The results revealed that conscious and social biases were positively related to employment decisions about veterans. Implications for future theory, research, and practice are considered.