Americanizing Latinos, Latinoizing America: The Political Consequences of Latino Incorporation*

Abstract

Objective Because of the increased attention Democrats and Republicans are paying to the Latino vote, both parties may find it necessary to change their platforms and rhetoric to appeal to Latino policy preferences. This research examines the impact of Americanization on Latino policy preferences. Methods Using data from the 2006 Latino National Survey, we create a continuous scale that measures the extent to which Latinos have Americanized, that is, become incorporated into the U.S. mainstream. We use multivariate analyses to examine the effect of Americanization on a wide range of salient policy preferences. Results Our research shows that across a wide array of issues, Latinos vary considerably among themselves in terms of their level of Americanization, even after accounting for a rich set of control variables commonly found to predict policy preferences. Our results also indicate that, regardless of levels of Americanization, Latinos approach unanimity in their support of an expanded socioeconomic safety net supported by the government. Conclusions Our results indicate that Latino policy preferences are well to the left of the national mainstream and indeed include policies that are anathema to the Republican Party. The political implications of these preferences are that despite increased outreach, Republicans will find it difficult to woo Latino voters, and it will be challenging for Democrats to maintain or increase their Latino support.

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