Phenotypic Preference in Mexican Migrants: Evidence from a Random Household Survey

Aguilar, Rosario; Hughes, Dominic; Gell-Redman, Micah

doi:10.1007/s11109-018-9445-9

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…First, research on U.S. voter turnout suggests that political participation is higher among immigrants less exposed to discrimination (Schildkraut, 2005b) and groups that are more educated (Sondheimer & Green, 2010; Verba, Schlozman, & Brady, 1995); thus, because lighter-skinned Latinx women are more educated (Hunter, 2002) and less exposed to discrimination (Uzogara, 2019a), they may be more inclined to participate in the political process although this possibility has not been examined in this understudied literature. Second, lighter-skinned Latinxs may be favored as political candidates by long-term Mexican residents in the United States (Aguilar et al, 2019). Future research should examine the possibility that the lightest-skinned Latinx women may be more electable political candidates because the present study’s findings suggest that this group may not necessarily support legislation that corresponds with the policy preferences and interests of their darker-skinned Latinx constituents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By contrast, skin tone has been more tied to political behaviors rather than political attitudes . Experimental studies found that light-skinned African Americans (Caruso, Mead, & Balcetis, 2009; Terkildsen, 1993; Weaver, 2012) and lighter-skinned Mexicans (Aguilar, Hughes, & Gell-Redman, 2019) were favored as political candidates in hypothetical and actual elections.…”

Section: Colonialism Colorism and Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Who belongs in America? Latinxs’ skin tones, perceived discrimination, and opposition to multicultural policies.

Uzogara¹

2021

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology

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Objective: Consequences of colorism are well documented, yet little is known about its relationship with political views of racial/ethnic minorities. Although a very small literature found no evidence that skin tone shapes political attitudes of Latinx Americans, the present study was the first to extend this to immigration and language policy preferences. Because support for public policies is an important mechanism through which inequality is either reduced or reproduced, this filled an important gap in the literature on colorism and political behavior. Method: Using binary or ordered logistic regression, skin tone, perceived discrimination, and demographic characteristics were examined as predictors of Latinxs' policy preferences for U.S. border security and/or mandated use of English. Several probability samples were analyzed: one national sample (N ϭ 430), as well as other national (N ϭ 349, mean age 41), regional (N ϭ 256, mean ages 36 -40), and nationally representative samples (N ϭ 8,065, mean ages 32-35). Results: Relative to their counterparts, the lightest-skinned Latinx women were more tolerant of restrictive policies-tighter border security and a preference for English as the only official language. Among Latinx men, medium-skinned subgroups reported the most unfavorable opinions about a U.S. border wall policy whereas lighter-skinned men were less opposed to this policy. Conclusions: Findings suggested that skin tone biases may be tied to men's engagement on border security issues and women's support for language and border policies. Therefore, colorism may be implicated in important processes that shape American politics and Latinx public opinion. Public Significance StatementThe following article examines whether U.S. Latinxs with varying skin tones differed in their endorsement of immigration and language public policies. Across four independent samples, lighterskinned Latinxs (particularly women) were more tolerant of restrictive immigration policies (e.g., tighter borders) and restrictive language policies (English as the only official U.S. language). Whereas previous inequality research found that lighter-skinned Latinxs had socioeconomic advantages over darker-skinned counterparts, the present study extends this to political behavior and finds that some lighter-skinned Latinxs also endorsed policy positions that reinforced inequality.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Colonialism Colorism and Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who belongs in America? Latinxs’ skin tones, perceived discrimination, and opposition to multicultural policies.

Uzogara¹

2021

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology

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“…The levels of party identification were selected to show the most relevant parties in each country, based on data from the most recent wave of the AmericasBarometer at the time of the experiment . Ethnicity was included as an attribute in the Mexican survey because it is a relevant social cleavage (e.g., Aguilar et al 2019) and could thus impact how Mexicans view or perceive others with respect to themselves. Following Hainmueller et al 2013, the order of the attributes was randomized at the respondent level and kept fixed across all pairings for each respondent to minimize primacy and recency effects.…”

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negative Partisanship in Latin America

Haime¹,

Cantú²

2022

Lat Am Polit Soc

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The literature on comparative partisanship has demonstrated the low rates of party identification in Latin America. Such low rates are commonly interpreted as a sign of citizens’ disengagement with parties and democracy in the region. This article revisits this interpretation by considering voters’ adverse affection toward a party, or negative partisanship. It shows that examining the negative side of partisanship can help us develop a clearer perspective on the partisan linkages in the electorate. To support this claim, this study analyzes an original conjoint experiment in Argentina and Mexico, as well as two other public opinion surveys fielded in Brazil, Chile, and Ecuador. The study presents empirical evidence indicating that negative partisanship helps voters without an attachment to a party to distinguish themselves from nonpartisans, is independent of positive partisanship, and is different from a general distrust of the democratic system.

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“…In addition, such voters might receive a large amount of information that is difficult to filter, verify, or remember accurately (Olivola and Todorov, 2010….). Given the complexity of the voting process, voters have to use mental shortcuts to make their final decisions (Aguilar, Hughes, and Gell‐Redman, 2019; Gigerenzer and Gaissmaier, 2011; Lau and Redlawsk, 2001).…”

Section: Skin Tone and Electoral Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Color of Electoral Success: Estimating the Effect of Skin Tone on Winning Elections in Mexico

Campos-Vázquez¹,

Rivas‐Herrera²

2021

Social Science Quarterly

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Objective. Evidence suggests that voters' prejudices may lead them to take information shortcuts in choosing political leaders. This study analyzes whether the skin tone of 12,798 candidates influenced the outcome of their electoral campaigns. Methods. To determine the probability of winning an election, we estimate a linear regression where skin tone is used as an explanatory variable, with controls such as sex and political party. Based on the number of votes obtained by each candidate, we estimate an ordered logit model. Results. Candidates with dark brown skin tones face a probability of winning that is 20-38 percent less than those with intermediate skin color. A one standard deviation increase in skin tone is associated with an 8 percent decrease in the probability of finishing in first place. Conclusion. Skin color influences electoral outcomes. Public policies should therefore ensure equal access and true representativeness. In a democracy, the candidates who win elections are those who can convince the electorate to vote for them. Democracy is therefore built on our perceptions of politicians rather than on their true profiles. Even if citizens try to inform themselves, they can be hindered by cognitive capacity and information acquisition constraints, which may lead them to rely on prejudices in their voting choices. These biases are likely based in part on candidates' physical characteristics, such as gender or skin tone (Buckley, Collins, and Reidy, 2007; Gigerenzer and Gaissmaier, 2011; Lau and Redlawsk, 2001). 1 For this reason, it is necessary to consider whether skin color affects voter perceptions and thus influences electoral outcomes. Studies of political choice have paid increasing attention to the physical characteristic of skin color. In an experiment, Aguilar (2011) tested whether skin tone matters in choosing among candidates in Mexico. She found that participants were twice as likely to vote for a white candidate with European phenotypes than for an indigenous one. Leigh and Susilo (2009) estimated the effect of candidate ballot photographs on election

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Phenotypic Preference in Mexican Migrants: Evidence from a Random Household Survey

Cited by 3 publications

References 48 publications

Who belongs in America? Latinxs’ skin tones, perceived discrimination, and opposition to multicultural policies.

Who belongs in America? Latinxs’ skin tones, perceived discrimination, and opposition to multicultural policies.

Negative Partisanship in Latin America

The Color of Electoral Success: Estimating the Effect of Skin Tone on Winning Elections in Mexico

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