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

本文研究了拉丁裔族群认同如何进入美国人（拉丁裔和非拉丁裔）的投票演算。在21世纪，从种族角度出发的竞选活动迅速发展，这要求我们考虑拉美裔在拉美裔和非拉美裔中的作用。其中特别提到了两个问题。首先，拉丁美洲人对同种族候选人有何反应？第二，非拉丁裔对拉丁裔候选人的反应如何？本文认为，族群内认同和族群线索的个体水平决定了族群对拉美裔投票选择产生独立影响的可能性；影响种族“胜过”党派关系的可能性。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。什么样的种族暗示会引发对种族外候选人的排斥，即使该候选人与自己有相同的党派倾向？作为群体外的成员，非拉丁裔对拉丁裔的种族背景有何反应，或者更简单地说，非拉丁裔对“多少”种族感到舒服？本文利用社会群体在政治思维中的作用的认知-情感模型来理解共同群体态度/取向与投票选择之间的联系机制。本论文采用多方法研究。然而，考虑到问题的性质和数据的限制，主要的方法是实验。实验设计允许测试不同拉丁裔种族背景对拉丁裔和非拉丁裔投票选择的作用。这个项目更广泛的影响是对拉丁裔政治行为的理解。拉丁美洲人现在是该国最大的少数民族，其增长率预计将继续有增无减（2000年人口普查）。今天，任何关于美国政治的讨论都需要充分了解拉美裔的情况。

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.