The Political Behavior of “Unhyphenated Americans”: An Individual‐Level Analysis of Causes and Consequences*

Abstract

Objectives. This analysis seeks to assess the findings of previous research that "unhyphenated Americans" have distinct voting patterns. This analysis also provides an empirical test for various hypotheses about the determinants of unhyphenated self-identification that have previously been advanced, but not definitely tested, by scholars. Methods. Multivariate quantitative analysis of a nationally representative public opinion survey fielded in 2015. Results. The results of previous research are not confirmed. Unhyphenated Americans are no more or less likely to vote for either Obama in 2012 or Democratic congressional candidates in 2014 once important demographic and political control variables are accounted for. Also, contrary to most previous research, unhyphenated self-identification is driven to a large extent by race-related factors. Conclusion. Unhyphenated Americans appear to have distinct political voting patterns at the aggregate level, but this pattern disappears at the individual level of analysis. Further research is called for to better understand the behavior of unhyphenated Americans.

Race, Religion, and Obama in Appalachia*

“…Arbour and Teigen () use aggregate‐level data to show that, controlling for other factors, variation in the county‐level share of individuals identifying as ethnically “American” is a strong predictor of opposition to the Obama candidacy in 2008. Knoll () complements this by using individual‐level data from a 2012 exit poll of voters in Boyle County, Kentucky, to show that unhyphenated American identity is associated with opposition to Obama, but is mediated by sentiments related to nativism and cultural threat. This study of Appalachian regionalism can serve as a complement to this developing unhyphenated Americans literature.…”