Minority Political Attitudes Political Science 61 ChicanoLatino Studies

Minority Political Attitudes Political Science 61 / Chicano/Latino Studies 64 Lecture 10 November 2, 2007

Where are We? n Minority politics in a post-civil rights era n n VRA ensures electoral access and representation Civil rights acts (federal and state) ensure educational access, employment and residential non-discrimination Immigration steadily expands “minority” populations Can minority communities use these guarantees to ensure that their interests are represented?

Theoretical Theme for Rest of Course – Pluralism n Central tenant of pluralism n n Pan-ethnicity confounds this n n Groups know what their interests are Groups may be internally divided Brief review of pan-ethnicity n n Two, or more, Latino or Asian American national origin groups come into contact Discover a shared experience Create instrumental alliance to achieve shared objectives Instrumental alliance may become more permanent over time (an open question)

Do Shared Experiences Build Pan-Ethnic Identity? n Groups frequently report being closer to (non. Hispanic) whites than to Asian/Latino national origin groups other than their own n Few Asian Americans report that Asian-descent cultures are “very similar” Few Latino reports that Latin American descent are “very similar” Degree of perceived “linked fate” somewhat higher n Perception that what happens to one Latino/Asian American affects the status of other Latinos/Asian Americans

Why? n Limited information on Latinos/Asian Americans of other national origins n n n Geographic dispersion Immigrants/second generation less socialized to pan-ethnicity Asian American case – historical rivalries

Example: Asian American Pan -Ethnicity (shared beliefs) n Ideology n n Plurality trust local government “some of the time” n n Plurality of all groups report being “middle-of-the road, ” except Filipinos and South Asians (more liberal) More likely to trust than not to trust Plurality perceive that they have “very little” influence over local government n Chinese have lowest levels of trust

So, n What does pan-ethnicity mean in Asian American and Latino communities?

Values and Attitudes n n n Values – beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment (either for or against something) Attitudes – a relatively stable and enduring predisposition to behave or react in a characteristic way Opinion – a belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge

Can We Speak of “Minority” Political Values/Attitudes? n No n n n Each national origin and pan-ethnic group speaks with its own voice Groups are not necessarily internally cohesive And, yes n n Some similarities between African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans Majority society encourages some cross-group commonalities by treating them as one n A consequence of pluralism

Shared Values n “Equal protection of laws” n n n Core tenant of civil rights struggles Absence is what spurred may immigrants to migrate Necessarily increases role of government (and trust for government) Importance of education and more generally government programs to provide training and protection Connection to faith-based organizations Belief in opportunities available in American society

“American” Political Values n Economic individualism n n Income Housing Jobs Patriotism n Don’t confuse support for U. S. policies (such as in Iraq) with patriotism

Mexican Americans and Anglos Share Core Values n Controlling for demographic characteristics (age and class): n Few differences on economic individualism n n n Spanish dominant somewhat more likely to see governmental role Spanish dominant Mexican Americans more patriotic than Anglos Overall similarity means that class is more important than ethnicity

Non-minorities Ascribe Preferences to Minority Communities n Historical n n n Sojourners with little interest in the United States Radicals, anarchists, and nationalists Contemporary n n n Republican’s efforts to define Blacks and Mexican Americans in terms of moral conservative agenda Democrat’s failure to distinguish between minorities Classification of Asian Americans as the “model minority”

Odd – Minority Policy Agenda Consistent in Post-1965 Era n Agenda: incorporation of those previously excluded and new immigrants n n n Education (at all levels) Social Services Job training Public safety Important when considering policy agenda to measure: n n Salience Connection to underlying values

Most Important Issue Facing Nation -- Latinos & Asian Americans, 2004 Asian Americans Latinos Economy/jobs War in Iraq Terrorism/security 26% 16% 27% 15% 20% Health Care Education 14% 8% 13% 7% 11% 15% Civil/immigrant rights Other/Don’t know 12%

Sources n n Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund Exit Poll (November) Washington Post/Univision/Tomás Rivera Policy Institute Pre-Election Poll (October)

Issues That Are Not Central to the Minority Agendas n Moral conservative agenda—positions held by many Blacks and Latinos, but top the agenda for few n n n Pro-life Support for death penalty Prayer in schools Traditional role of women For Asian Americans and Latinos – Immigration n n Distinction between immigration of relatives and immigration policy Particularly true of Asian American and Latino U. S. citizens

Ture and Hamilton—Theory of Inter-Group Coalitions occur when: 1. 2. 3. 4. Groups understand their self-interest Each group entering into a coalition believes that it will benefit from cooperation Each group has its own power base and controls its own decision making Each group must have identifiable goals in mind So, interest not ideology is the glue of successful inter-group politics - Ture and Hamilton, Black Power (1967)

If Ture and Hamilton’s Model is Correct n n The interests of pan-ethnic communities offer the foundation for a minority politics of shared interests The first piece of the pluralist puzzle is in place – minority groups have interests in common

Question For Next Time According to Reeves, why do pre-election polls and election results differ when there’s a black candidate in the race?