This dissertation examines Latino political engagement, why it occurs at lower rates comparedto other racial/ethnic groups, and factors that may prove influential in bridging such gaps in political engagement. Much of the existing literature on the turnout gap, a persistent double-digit average disparity in voter turnout between Latinos and other U.S racial/ethnic groups has not yet grappled with the empirical fact that such disparities appear before Americans are of voting age. Additionally, we know little about forces that shape Latino’s decision to engage in other forms of political participation such as running for political office. I argue that the relative (dis)engagement of Latinos can be better understood by analyzing differences in the development of norms regarding political engagement.
In my first dissertation paper, I leverage decades of longitudinal survey data to assess differences in the early political development of racial/ethnic groups in the United States. I find substantial heterogeneity in the development of political interest, engagement, and attitudes among racial and ethnic groups. I also demonstrate that voting aspirations among Latino youth exist well before they reach voting age. In the second study, I employ two survey experiments to test causal arguments regarding the influence of potential socialization agents on Latino youth: group exemplars. I also conduct focus groups with Latino youth to further describe the mechanisms that drive their voting aspirations. The results show that exemplars, or in-group “role models,” influence the norms and intended voting behavior of young Latinos. Exposure to in-group exemplars coincide with greater levels of intent to vote and increased in-group norms placing emphasis on voting. I also find that the actions exemplars engage in or discuss matter greatly. Observed increases in modes of civic participation outside of voter turnout, such as enthusiasm for political volunteerism, were likely a function of the first intervention’s experimental stimuli.
In my final study, I assemble an original dataset of Spanish-language television stations across the United States to study their influence on local-level candidate emergence and Latino turnout. The results show that Spanish-language television access has a negative effect on candidate emergence in areas with high Latino population density, while Latinos in areas that have a low density of co-ethnics are mobilized by access to stations. The results add further complexity to the debate on ethnic media and Latino political participation as the observed effects appear to depend on ethnoracial political context.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:columbia.edu/oai:academiccommons.columbia.edu:10.7916/s5kf-m617 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Gomez, Jose Solis |
| Source Sets | Columbia University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Theses |
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