With less than a month to go until the presidential election, many people are trying to understand why some Latinos support Donald Trump and the Republican Party, which has a clearly xenophobic stance.Here's a data-driven answer to this puzzle.
For more than 40 years, Latinos have been staunch Democratic supporters, with two out of three supporting the party and voting for its candidates. But what's different now is that many political observers recognize the flip side of that reality: nearly one in three Latinos identify as a Republican at heart. In a time of increasing polarization, these political nuances are more apparent than ever.
It may come as a surprise to some, but Latinos are not only recognized as an ethnic group, but also as Americans. The extent to which Latino adults prioritize one of these identities over the other certainly explains why they identify as Democrats or Republicans.
The more Latinos prioritize their American identity over their ethnic identity, the more likely they are to consider themselves Republicans. This is a byproduct of polarization, with the Republican Party closely and spiritually tied to “real” Americans. In contrast, the more Latino adults identify with their ethnic group, the more they support the Democratic Party, again a byproduct of polarization, and this party has a strong relationship with people of color in general and mentally. are connected to each other.
Since 2006, high-quality surveys of Latino adults have found that approximately 27 percent of adult Latinos prioritize their American identity over their ethnic identity. . That's strikingly close to the one-third of Latinos who identify as Republicans.
This link between identity and political party became clear in a highly controlled laboratory experiment that my colleagues and I conducted. The mere mention of the American flag or other national symbols automatically makes Latinos think of the Republican Party. Similarly, when Latinos encounter images associated with their respective ethnic groups, they automatically think of the Democratic Party. These snap judgments stem from the continued polarization between Democrats and Republicans. The two parties are essentially coalitions between multiple social, economic, and racial groups.
Why are psychological factors so important to each party's electoral fortunes?
Our data shows that without more careful messaging and outreach, Democrats and Republicans risk reaching out to Latinos based on an identity that matters less to them: political disagreement. Suggests. For example, if 27% of Latinos report prioritizing their American identity, and a political party contacts them as an ethnic They may come to identify with a political party that better reflects their own identity.
To demonstrate this, we conducted a large-scale experiment with Latino adults. Here, Latino participants were randomly assigned to read one of three news articles. In the control group, participants read a news summary about how giant tortoise populations around the world are declining.
In another condition, participants expressed how many Latinos identify with their ethnic identity despite being similar to Americans in some traits (e.g., optimism, hard work). Read out loud about your priorities. In the final condition, participants read an article that describes how many Latinos place greater emphasis on American identity, despite being primarily characterized as an ethnic group. After reading their assigned article, all participants reported the extent to which they self-identified as a Democrat or Republican.
Two insights emerge from this study. First, when Latinos are characterized as a primarily ethnic population, those who prioritize their Latino identity express significantly greater loyalty to the Democratic Party. This is the current situation. But this same message drives Latinos to prioritize their American identity and become significantly less loyal to the Democratic Party. This trend is due to the extent to which their preferred identity is incongruent with the depiction of their group, while the characterization of Latinos as an ethnic group strengthens some Latinos' allegiance to the Democratic Party. suggests that they are paying the price of losing support among other Latinos.
Second, when Latinos are characterized as American, those who prioritize their ethnic identity distance themselves from the Democratic Party, while those who prioritize their American identity embrace the Republican Party more. Masu.
The lessons from our collective research are clear.
First, Latinos are multidimensional, and some of those aspects may conflict with the expectations we have for them. An effective solution here would be for party operatives to better understand which Latinos they are reaching and use that information to target this constituency. All you have to do is fine-tune your message.
Second, beyond culturally sensitive outreach (e.g., comparing Spanish-language ads to English-language ads), political candidates are trying to reach out to Latinos in ways that acknowledge and affirm their own most cherished identities. You have to approach people. This involves political parties suspending stereotypes about what Latino voters are and instead meeting these voters in their shoes and asking how they see themselves. It is necessary to accept what is happening.
Implementing both lessons will energize future campaigns that compete for Latino support in a racially and ethnically complex electoral landscape.
Efren Perez is a full professor of political science and psychology at UCLA, where he directs the Race, Ethnicity, Politics, and Society Laboratory. He is the author of Children of Diversity: People of Color and the Politics of Identity.
