Doctoral Dissertation Research in Political Science: Identity Fluidity in the Voting Booth: The Influence of a Latino Social Group Cue on Vote Choice

这篇论文调查了拉美裔族群认同如何进入美国人(无论是拉丁裔还是非拉丁裔)的投票计算。在21世纪，涉及种族的竞选活动迅速增长，需要考虑拉美裔族裔在拉美裔和非拉美裔中的作用。文中特别提出了两个问题。首先，拉丁裔如何回应同种族的候选人？第二，非拉丁裔对拉丁裔候选人有何反应？本论文认为，种族认同和种族线索的个体水平决定了种族对拉美裔选民选择产生独立影响的可能性，影响了种族压倒党派之争的可能性。对于非拉丁裔，重点是非拉丁裔对拉丁裔(种族外群体)候选人的看法。什么类型的种族线索会引发对种族外候选人的拒绝，即使该候选人有相同的党派倾向？作为群体外的成员，非拉丁裔如何应对拉丁裔的种族背景，或者更简单地说，非拉丁裔在多大程度上对种族感到满意？本文利用一个认知-情感模型来研究社会群体在政治思维中的作用，以理解将共同的群体态度/取向与投票选择联系起来的机制。本文采用了多方法相结合的方法。然而，考虑到问题的性质和数据的限制，主要的方法是实验。一个实验性的设计允许测试不同的拉丁裔种族背景对拉丁裔和非拉丁裔投票选择的作用。这个项目的更广泛的影响是将获得对拉丁裔政治行为的理解。拉美裔人现在是该国最大的少数群体，他们的增长率预计将有增无减(人口普查2000)。如今，任何有关美国政治的讨论都需要对拉丁裔有充分的了解。

This dissertation investigates how Latino ethnic group identification enters the voting calculus of Americans (Latinos and non-Latinos alike). The rapid growth of ethnically angled campaigns in the 21st Century demands a consideration of the role of Latino ethnicity both among Latinos and non-Latinos. Two questions in particular, are addressed. First, how do Latinos1 respond to co-ethnic candidates? Second, how do non-Latinos respond to Latino candidates? This dissertation argues that individual levels of ethnic in-group identification and ethnic cues condition the likelihood of ethnicity exerting an independent effect on vote choice for Latinos; affecting the likelihood that ethnicity "trumps" partisanship. For non-Latinos, the focus is on the perception of non-Latinos toward Latino (ethnic out-group) candidates. What type of ethnic cue triggers a rejection of the ethnic out-group candidate, even if that candidate has one's same partisanship? As out-group members, how do non-Latinos react to Latino ethnic contexts, or put more simply, "how much" ethnicity is a non-Latino comfortable with?This dissertation utilizes a cognitive-affective model of the role of social groups in political thinking to understand the mechanism linking shared group attitudes/orientations to vote choice. A multi-method approach is employed in this dissertation. However, given the nature of the question and data limitations, the primary methodology is experimentation. An experimental design allows for the testing of the role of different Latino ethnic contexts on vote choice for both Latinos and non-Latinos.The broader impact of this project is the understanding that will be gained of Latino political behavior. Latinos are now the largest minority group in the country and their growth rates are projected to continue unabated (Census 2000). Today, any discussion of American politics requires a well-informed treatment of Latinos.