Which term refers to differential treatment in the marketplace based on race or ethnicity?

• A. Discrimination
• B. Descriptive stereotyping
• C. Diversity
• D. Consumer racial profiling

Answer: (D)

Differential treatment in the marketplace based on race or ethnicity is described by consumer racial profiling. This term targets the specific setting of buying and selling, where decisions about service, product access, or how customers are treated are influenced by race or ethnicity. It captures the idea that marketplace interactions can be shaped by racial or ethnic identity, which is exactly what the question highlights.

This differs from descriptive stereotyping, which is about beliefs or assumptions about groups rather than actions taken in a marketplace. Diversity refers to the presence and inclusion of different groups, not to discriminatory practices. Discrimination is the broader concept of treating people unequitably due to protected characteristics, but the phrase “in the marketplace” makes consumer racial profiling the precise term for marketplace-specific, race-based differential treatment.