Department of Political Science

 Latinos in America: Immigrant Political Behavior Beyond SES

The central concern of my research seeks to further understand the political participation of the naturalized immigrant Latino population. I propose to further my analysis of the country origin specific variables that lead to different levels of political participation – more importantly voter turnout. I will analyze political system variations by country of origin through a yearly cohort case study to not only gain an understanding of the differences political regimes make by country but to also better understand the differences these political regimes make within country. I then propose to further understand the process of political socialization that these individuals undertake after naturalization. Post naturalization, I propose to study the effects that the U.S. political climate has on the continued political socialization of the individual. I seek to do so through an analysis of the political agenda, elections and political campaign ads that may influence the Latinoís perception of discrimination, political participation, and voter turnout. I will analyze a data set of congressional campaign and political ads that are either targeted to or about the Latino population. Although there is limited data on this topic my dissertation will lead to gathering new data collection concerning Latino   perceptions and participation through the use of survey data, experimental analysis, and behavioral methodology. I therefore propose to understand what type of citizen the U.S. political system is accepting of and fostering.