Taking a New Perspective to Latino Racial Attitudes

Abstract

Recent research has taken note of the steadfast growth of the Latino population in the United States by examining Latino attitudes toward those commonly identified as nonimmigrants, Whites and Blacks. Extant literature on Latino racial attitudes explores the determinants of Latinos' perceptions of commonality with Whites and Blacks, yet it has greatly overlooked the impact that skin tone, a key differentiating factor of Latinos, has in explaining these attitudes. Using the 2006 Latino National Survey, we develop models that examine the extent that skin tone explains Latinos' commonality with Whites and Blacks. We find that self-reported skin tone considerably explains Latinos' attitudes toward Whites and Blacks with light-skinned Latinos sensing greater commonality with Whites and less commonality with Blacks than dark-skinned Latinos. We also find that skin tone moderates the relationship between linked fate with Latinos and closeness with Whites and the relationship between social contact and closeness with Blacks and Whites.

The markings of linked fate among Asian Americans and Latinxs.

“…No relations between skin tone and group solidarity were found among Asians, but darker skin color in Latinxs was associated with higher minority and coethnic-linked fate (but not immigrant-linked fate). This supports Wilkinson and Earle’s (2013) conclusion that dark-skinned Latinxs identify with African Americans more so than their light-skinned counterparts. Colorism has deep implications across diverse groups (Burton et al, 2010), and racial/ethnic identity could be heightened among people of color who “appear ethnic” (Kiang & Takeuchi, 2009).…”

“…Filipinxs’ experiences of bias related to phenotype suggest that those with concordant heritage features (darker skin, appearing “ethnic”) draw on such characteristics to strengthen identity and belonging (Kiang & Takeuchi, 2009). Further, dark-skinned Latinxs rather than light skinned are more likely to identify with African Americans (Wilkinson & Earle, 2013). Darker skin tone could foster commonalities with others and therefore positively relate to both minority and coethnic-linked fate.…”

White Racial Identity, Racial Attitudes, and Latino Partisanship

“…Of course Latin American and Latino notions of race, color, and mestizaje along with evidence of Latinos engaging in practices of colorism all suggest that Latinos may acquire and express negative racial attitudes that are more aligned with the dynamics of race relations in the United States. This assumption is supported by evidence from studies that measure feelings of commonality with Black Americans (Jones-Correa, Wallace, and Zepeda-Millán 2016; Kaufmann 2003; McClain et al 2010), especially those that find that Latino immigrants (McClain et al 2006; McDermott 2011a, 2011b; Ocampo and Flippen 2021), Latinos who are less acculturated (Jones Correa 2011; Sanchez 2008; Wilkinson 2014), and Latinos with light skin (Wilkinson and Earle 2013) are all less likely to feel a sense of commonality with Blacks. More importantly, some studies have started to examine the relationship between Latino’s negative racial attitudes toward Blacks and electoral politics with mixed results (Ditonto, Lau and Sears 2013; Krupnikov and Piston 2016; Segura and Valenzuela 2010).…”

Media Exposure and Racialized Perceptions of Inequities in Criminal Justice

“…Historically, African Americans have experienced more biased treatment in the criminal justice system than any other group and they have been portrayed less favorably in the media than whites (Gilliam and Iyengar 2000;Wilkinson and Earle 2013). As such, African Americans maintain more suspicious attitudes about how members of their race are depicted in the media and treated by justice institutions.…”