Date of Award
2013
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Political Science
First Advisor
Patrick Donnay
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to find out whether political party identification is learned or inherited in Latino voters in the United States. Latino voters are the largest growing minority group in the United States. Understanding this growing block of voters will yield dividends in elections to come. I utilized a 2008 dataset from a post‐election survey by Pew Research group on Latino voters. I hypothesize that recent immigrants learn their party identification while more established Latino voters are more likely to have inherited their political views. If Latino party identification is learned it is more likely that they can be influenced by friends and media in the course of a campaign. “Learned Behavior” is when a voter spends more time in an area and becomes more familiar with each political party or group and picks up on what each represents. As more time is spent in an area and the individual becomes more familiar with each party, they then formulate their views and become more loyal to one party or group over the other. “Inherited behavior” on the other hand, is when an individual gets their party ID from their parents or other close relatives. This party ID then becomes permanent and unchanged as time progresses.
I have found a connection between the different groups of Latino voters (Dominican, Cuban, El Salvadoran, etc.) and party identification. I have also found a tentative connection between media use and party identification amongst Latino voters. These findings provide the connection between specific groups of Latino voters and party identification and also the answer to the question of whether party identification amongst Latino voters is inherited or learned.
Recommended Citation
Davison, Dylan, "Latino Party ID: Inherited or Learned?" (2013). Political Science Theses and Capstones. 88.
https://pines.bemidjistate.edu/capstone-polisci/88
Included in
American Politics Commons, Chicana/o Studies Commons, Ethnic Studies Commons, Latina/o Studies Commons, Other American Studies Commons, Puerto Rican Studies Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons
