Latino Subgroups Political Participation in American Politics

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Latino Subgroups Political Participation in American Politics University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 3-23-2017 Latino Subgroups Political Participation in American Politics: The Other Latinos’ Electoral Behavior Angelica Maria Leon Velez University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Latin American Studies Commons Scholar Commons Citation Leon Velez, Angelica Maria, "Latino Subgroups Political Participation in American Politics: The Other Latinos’ Electoral Behavior" (2017). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6723 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Latino Subgroups Political Participation in American Politics: The Other Latinos’ Electoral Behavior by Angelica Maria Leon Velez A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Institute for the Study of Latin American and the Caribbean with a Concentration in Government and International Affairs College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Bernd Reiter, Ph.D. Rachel May, Ph.D. Heide Castaneda, Ph.D. Steven Tauber, Ph.D. Date of Approval: March 21, 2017 Keywords: Latinidad, group identity, voting behavior, Latino politics, Latino Studies Copyright © 2017, Angelica Leon Velez DEDICATION I dedicate this work to my family, they have been my biggest supporter’s. To my mother who migrated to this country more than ten years ago, and worked so hard to pay for my education. You have always been there for me. I can only hope to be able to pay you back. To Brad for always being there, supporting me and my dreams. ACNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis has been a great experience. A project I started in my very first semester, and that I am happy to finally see realized. Although it has been transformed in many ways, the essence of this project is the same I had when I first came to this country looking to start a master’s degree. I am greatly thankful to those who never gave up on my dream, and always encouraged me to keep going, even when the dream seemed very far away. I would not be here today without my family’s support. I wish also to thank Dr. Rachel May, who welcomed me to the program, and made me feel part of a project in which she strongly believes. Dr. Heide Castaneda, who allowed me to work with her without even knowing me, and helped me immensely in shaping this thesis. I am very thankful for your time, advice, and patience answering all my questions. I would also like to thank Dr. Steven Tauber for joining this project, and taking the time to explain things that were out of my reach and understanding. Last, but not least, Dr. Bernd Reiter, who worked with me since day one. It was in your class where I realized exactly where I wanted to go with this project. You accepted to supervise a project that was “different,” and for that I am grateful. Your disposition, understanding, and knowledge have not only inspired me, but helped me through this process. To all who have contributed somehow and in any form to this project, I will always be grateful. Angelica. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ iii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... vi Chapter I. Introduction .....................................................................................................................1 From Latin American to Latino ...........................................................................................1 Importance of the Study .......................................................................................................3 Research Design and Methodology .....................................................................................4 Concepts ...............................................................................................................................5 Organization of the Thesis ...................................................................................................6 Chapter II. Group Identity: The Construction of the Hispanic/Latino Pan-Ethnicity......................8 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................8 The immigrant Ethnic Configuration: Hispanic/Latino, American, or the Hyphened Origin. ...........................................................................................................9 Race or Ethnicity? ..................................................................................................12 Hispanics/Latinos Composition: Who Are They? And Where do They Come From? .......................................................................................................18 The Pan-ethnicity Issue: Inclusive or Divisive? ................................................................23 Latinidad: Hispanic/Latino Group Consciousness.............................................................29 Conclusion: Latino/Hispanic Unidentified ........................................................................33 Chapter III. Latino Politics: Ethnic Politics vs. American Integration ..........................................36 Minority Politics and the Immigration Implications ..........................................................38 Political Ideology ...................................................................................................42 Partisan Identification ............................................................................................43 Group Identity: The Foundations of Ethnic Politics ..........................................................44 Voting Behavior: Latinos Low Turnout Rates...................................................................51 Latino Representation: Co-ethnic Support vs. Issues Approach .......................................53 Conclusion: The “Other Latinos” Underrepresentation in the Pluralist System................56 Chapter IV. Data analysis: Are There Significant Differences Between Latino/Hispanic Subgroups? ........................................................................................59 Data and Sample ................................................................................................................61 Dependent variables: Political Participation and Group Identity ......................................61 Political Participation .............................................................................................61 Voting behavior .........................................................................................62 Political agenda ..........................................................................................63 Acculturation..............................................................................................64 Group Identity: Pan-ethnicity vs. Country of Origin .............................................65 i Independent Variables: Ancestry and Country of Origin ..................................................65 Data Analysis .....................................................................................................................67 Group identity — Independent variable ............................................................................67 Political Participation — Dependent variables ..................................................................68 Electoral Behavior .................................................................................................68 Political Agenda .....................................................................................................74 Acculturation..........................................................................................................77 Discussion ..........................................................................................................................80 Chapter V. Conclusions ...............................................................................................................136 Pan-ethnic Labels: Are They the Solution for Political Inclusion? ................................136 Pan-ethnic Labels: Predictors of Voting? ........................................................................138 Voting Behavior Among Latinos/Hispanics ....................................................................140 Immigration and Other Issues ..........................................................................................142 The Citizenship Impact ....................................................................................................143 Possible Future Research .................................................................................................144 References ..............................................................................................................................148 ii LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1. Pan-ethnic term preference—Ancestry ..................................................................85 Table 1.1a Pan-ethnic term preference—Other country[Specify] ...........................................86
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