1 Redefining America: Findings from the 2006 Latino National Survey Luis R. Fraga Stanford University University of Washington John A. Garcia University of Arizona Rodney E. Hero University of Notre Dame Michael Jones-Correa Cornell University Valerie Martinez-Ebers Texas Christian University Gary M. Segura University of Washington

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3 Sources of Funding Annie E. Casey Foundation Annie E. Casey Foundation Carnegie Corporation Carnegie Corporation Ford Foundation Ford Foundation Hewlett Foundation Hewlett Foundation Irvine Foundation Irvine Foundation Joyce Foundation Joyce Foundation Kellogg Foundation Kellogg Foundation National Science Foundation National Science Foundation Russell Sage Foundation Russell Sage Foundation Texas A&M University: MALRC, PERG Texas A&M University: MALRC, PERG

4 Percent Hispanic of U.S. Population, Source: Chapter 2. Multiple Origins, Uncertain Destinies. Adapted from Figure 2-2. Percent

5 Hispanic Births and Net Immigration by Decade: Source: Chapter 2. Multiple Origins, Uncertain Destinies. Adapted from Figure 2-1. Millions

6 Latino Diversity Census Bureau (American Community Survey, Released August 2006) Mexican 63.9% Puerto Rican 9% Cuban 3.5% Salvadoran 2.9% Dominican 2.7% Guatemalan 1.7% Colombian 1.8% ALL OTHERS 14.3% Native-born (not Island-born): 35.4% Foreign-born 61% Island-born PR 3.6% No high school diploma 43% College graduate 11.1% Latino National Survey (unweighted N) Summer 2006 *Mexican 66.1% (5704) *Puerto Rican 9.5% (822) *Cuban 4.9% (420) *Salvadoran 4.7% (407) *Dominican 3.9% (335) *Guatemalan 1.7% (149) *Colombian 1.6% (139) *All Others 7.6% *Native-born 28.4% (2450) *Foreign-born (adults) 66.2% (5717) *Island-born PR 5.4% (467) *No high school diploma 37% *College graduate 16.2% 44 million Latinos in the US

7 Assimilation, Values, and Identity

8 Language Proficiency across Generations 1 st Gen 2 nd Gen 3 rd Gen 4 th Gen Answered in English Answered in Spanish, Speak English Total Share with English Proficiency Retain Spanish Proficiency  Strong English dominance and nearly universal English proficiency among the first-generation of US born;  Generally strong Spanish retention, aided by refreshed populations of Spanish-speakers.

9 Importance of Learning English/ Retaining Spanish across Generations 1 st Gen 2 nd Gen 3 rd Gen 4 th Gen How important do you think it is that everyone in the United States learn English? Somewhat Very How important do you think it is for you or your family to maintain the ability to speak Spanish? Somewhat Very

10 Sense of American and Home-Country Identity Across Generations 1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th How strongly do you think of yourself as “American”? Somewhat Strongly Very Strongly How strongly do you think of yourself as (Mexican, Cuban, etc)? Somewhat Strongly Very Strongly

11 A Multiplicity of Identities Simultaneous strong sense of pan-ethnic identity, national origin identity, and American- ness Simultaneous strong sense of pan-ethnic identity, national origin identity, and American- ness  Puerto Ricans illustrate best that identities are not mutually exclusive  Cuban pan-ethnicity surprisingly high  Mexican sense of American-ness high considering the share foreign born American National Origin Pan- Ethnic Mexican Cuban Puerto Rican All Cells are percent expressing “somewhat” or “very strongly”

12 Levels of Pan Ethnicity and Connectedness Of One’s Subgroup to Other Latinos  One-half of LNS Latinos perceive a lot of commonalities with one’s group and other Latinos  Stronger pan-ethnic identifiers are more inclined to see this connection.  Over three- fourths of the combined stronger pan- ethic identifiers see their own national origin group as having a similar fate with other Latinos

13 Selected Markers of Societal Assimilation 1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th Roman Catholics Social Capital (Group Participation) Military Service, Self or Family Education < High School Household income <$35k Percent Marrying non- Latinos

14 Attention to US and “Home Country” Politics and Public Affairs Attention to US politics is strong, even among the foreign born, and approaches (and in some cases surpasses) levels for all other groups, among Latinos born in the US. Attention to US politics is strong, even among the foreign born, and approaches (and in some cases surpasses) levels for all other groups, among Latinos born in the US. While about 57% of foreign born respondents agree that they should be able to vote in home country elections, only about 4% have ever done so, and about 58% report paying little or no attention to politics back home. While about 57% of foreign born respondents agree that they should be able to vote in home country elections, only about 4% have ever done so, and about 58% report paying little or no attention to politics back home. 1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th Attention to/Interest in US politics Somewhat or Very Interested Attention to/Interest in “Home-Country” politics Little or No Attention Paid

15 Preferences for Cultural Assimilation and Distinctness 1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th Importance of Changing to Blend into Larger Society Somewhat Very Importance of Maintaining Distinct Culture Somewhat Very Support for blending into the larger culture and for maintaining a distinct culture are positively related (r=.1415): Support for blending into the larger culture and for maintaining a distinct culture are positively related (r=.1415): Not seen as an either/or proposition

16 Expressions of American Values 1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th Equality of Right, without regard to political beliefs Strongly agree Individual Responsibility, life outcomes not the fault of the “system” Somewhat agree Strongly agree Equality of Opportunity, uneven life chances are not a problem Somewhat or Strongly disagree

17 Civic and Political Participation

18 Latino Interest in Politics (in percentages) AllUS Born Naturalized Non- Respondents Citizens Citizens Citizens Respondents Citizens Citizens CitizensNot Interested Somewhat Interested Very Interested QUESTION: How interested are you in politics and public affairs? Would you say you are very interested, somewhat interested or not at all interested?

19 Civic Engagement Among Naturalized and Non- Citizens (in percentages) AllUS Born Naturalized Non- Respondents Citizens Citizens Citizens Respondents Citizens Citizens CitizensGroup participation Contacts officials Organizational problem-solving Multiple contacts w/ officials

Election Participation Among US Born and Naturalized Citizens US Born Naturalized US Born Naturalized % of eligible Respondents63%37% (n=5321) (n=5321) Asked to Vote/give$39%25% Registered81%73% Voted65%58% Voted for Kerry56%50% Voted for Bush38%46%  Almost twice as many US Born as Naturalized eligible to participate  Significantly more US Born than Naturalized asked to vote or contribute money to candidates or a political party, 14% difference!  More US Born registered and voted than Naturalized  Significantly more US Born voted for Kerry than Bush, 13% difference!  More Naturalized citizens also voted for Kerry, but the gap in those who voted for Kerry versus those who voted for Bush is much smaller, only 4%

21 Gender Differences in 2004 Election Participation Latino Latina % of eligible Respondents46%54% (n=5321) (n=5321) Asked to Vote/give$36%31% Registered77%80% Voted61%63% Voted for Kerry52%55% Voted for Bush43%39%  Latinas were a significantly larger share of the eligible participants  More Latino men asked to participate than Latinas YET, YET,  Latinas participated at higher rates than Latino men  Both Latinas and Latinos voted more for Kerry than Bush STILL,  Significantly more Latinas voted for Kerry than voted for Bush

22 Pan-Ethnic Identity and Participation (in percentages) Weak Latino Strong Latino Weak Latino Strong Latino All Identity Identity All Identity Identity Very Interested in politics Contacts officials Asked to Vote/ Give $ Registered Voted Voted for Kerry Voted for Bush Question: In general, how strongly or not do you think of yourself as Hispanic or Latino? Weak = Not at all or Not very Strongly; Strong = Somewhat Strongly or Very Strongly?

23 American Identity and Participation (in percentages) Latino National Origin American Latino National Origin American Identity Identity Identity Identity Identity Identity Very Interested in politics Contacts officials Asked to Vote/ Give $ Registered Voted Voted for Kerry Voted for Bush Question: Of the three previous terms, Latino/Hispanic, (selected national origin descriptor), or American, which best describes you?

24 Latinos and Partisanship

25 Patterns of Partisanship Overall U.S. Born Puerto Rico Born Outside U.S. Democrat Republican Independent Don’t Care Don’t Know

26 Partisanship Among Citizens U.S. Born Naturalized Registered Not Registered Democrat Republican Independent Don’t Care Don’t Know

27 Partisanship and Gender MaleFemale Democrat Republican Independent Don’t Care Don’t Know

28 Citizenship and Issue Positions: Problem Facing the Country CitizenNon-citizen CitizenNon-citizen Iraq War Economy Illegal Immigration Immigration Education/ Schools Schools Other “What do you think is THE one most important problem facing the country today?”

29 Partisanship and Issue Positions: Problem Facing the Country Democrat Republican Independent Democrat Republican Independent Iraq War Economy Illegal Immigration Immigration Education/ Schools Schools Other “What do you think is THE one most important problem facing the country today?”

30 Partisanship and Issue Positions: Preferred Party to Address Problem Facing Country Democrats Republicans Neither Don’t Know Democrats Republicans Neither Don’t Know Democrat Republican Independent Don’t Care Don’t Know “Which political party do you think has a better approach to address this problem?”

31 Citizenship and Issue Positions: Problem Facing Latinos CitizenNon-citizen CitizenNon-citizenIllegal Immigration Immigration Education/ Schools Schools Unemp/Jobs Iraq War Other “What do you think is THE one most important problem facing the country today?”

32 Partisanship and Issue Positions: Problem Facing Latinos Democrat Republican Independent Democrat Republican IndependentIllegal Immigration Immigration Education/ Schools Schools Unemp/Jobs Iraq War Other “What do you think is THE one most important problem facing the Latino community today?”

33 Partisanship and Issue Positions: Preferred Party to Address Problem Facing Latinos Democrats Republicans Neither Don’t Know Democrats Republicans Neither Don’t Know Democrat Republican Independent Don’t Care Don’t Know “Which political party do you think has a better approach to address this problem?”

34 Latinos’ Commonalities with Others  How wide are the circles?  Who are included in these circles?

35 Inter-Group Relations How do Latinos View their Political Interests vis-à-vis African Americans and Whites? Are there some characteristics about Latinos that facilitate positive views toward other groups? Do Latino national sub-groups see themselves as connected to other Latino sub-groups? Do Latinos believe that their collective future is linked to that of African Americans? To other Latinos?

36 A RECENT INGREDIENT TO THE INTER-GROUP MIX: The Latino population, particularly immigrants, has moved beyond such traditional states as California, Texas, and New York to establish a considerable and increasing presence in such states as Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa and North Carolina. These latter states -- Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa and North Carolina – are also states that had previously had little experience with immigrants and/or have substantially large African-American populations. Also the majority “Anglo” population have less familiarity with Latinos. Latinos’ Communities of Residence and Inter-Group Connections

37 Latinos Seeing Commonalities with Other Groups  Response Choices: nothing, little, some, a lot, DK/NA  Question: Thinking about issues like job opportunities, educational attainment or income, how much do [selected ethnic term] have in common with other racial groups in the United States today? Would you say [selected ethnic term] have ….. in common with African Americans ….. in common with African AmericansResults:  In all 7 states more respondents say “some” or “a lot” -- ranging from 46% to 57% -- than say “nothing” or “little.”  However, in the 4 “emerging states” 50 percent or less of respondents say “some” or “a lot,” while more in the other states say “some” or “a lot”: CA (51%), TX (52 %), NY (57%)

38 Question: Thinking about issues like job opportunities, educational attainment or income, how much do [selected ethnic term] have in common with other racial groups in the United States today? Would you say [selected ethnic term] have ….. in common with whites: Results: Varied patterns exist. A general summary is difficult to ascertain; except that in all states fewer respondents answer “some” or “a lot” than they did for the similar question regarding African Americans. Also, CA was the only state where more say nothing /little than some/ a lot (47%/44%). Socioeconomic Commonalities

39 Contributing Factors for Perceived Commonalities Perceive commonality w/ African Amer. 1 Whites Perceive commonality w/ African Amer. 1 Whites  Nativity 62.8/ /40.7  Language Use 62.2/ /40.2  Linked fate w/ Af. Amer. 50.0/ /43.2  Partisan Identity 56.6/ /39.1  Linked fate w/ Latinos 51.3/ /39.2  Race/Ethn. of co-workers 51.8/ / The set of percentages represents Latino respondents who indicated some or a lot of commonality for native/foreign born, English/Spanish speakers. For the linked fate percentages, it is some/a lot vs. little/nothing. For partisan, it is partisans vs. non-partisans. And coworkers represent mixed group of coworkers vs. only Latinos.

40 Extent of Commonality among Latinos regarding their political situation with African Americans and Whites Latinos in National Latino Survey Commonality with African Americans Commonality with Whites Latino Sub-Groups Colombians (139) Cubans (419) Dominicans (335) El Salvadorans (406) Guatemalans (149) Mexicans (5690) Puerto Ricans (759) The numbers in the parentheses represent the number of respondents in that category 2 The operational definition for the foreign-born includes all persons born outside the U.S., including being born in Puerto Rico.

41 Concept of “Linked Fate” with Others: African Americans and Latinos Question: How much does [Latinos] doing well depend on African Americans doing well? Results: Percent saying “some” or “a lot” in 4 emerging states ranges from 58% (NC) to 65% (AR).

42 How much does Latinos doing well depend on African Americans doing well? Latinos in National Latino Survey Linked Fate with African Americans Latino Sub-Groups Colombians (139) 66.9 Cubans (419) 61.3 Dominicans (335) 72.2 El Salvadorans (406) 68.2 Guatemalans (149) 64.4 Mexicans (5690) 62.4 Puerto Ricans (759) The numbers in the parentheses represent the number of respondents in that category 2 The operational definition for the foreign-born includes all persons born outside the U.S., including being born in Puerto Rico.

43 Latino Linked Fate Do Latinos see their futures, and those of their national origin group, linked to that of other Latinos? YES Mex indiv. Mex group Cuban indiv. Cuban group PR indiv. PR group Nothing Little Some A Lot How much does your “doing well” depend on other Latinos/Hispanics also doing well? How much does [national origin] “doing well” …?

44 Contributing Factors to Latino Linked Fate Perceived commonality 1 Latino Linked Fate  Nativity 67.4/62.9  Language Use 67.9/61.7  Linked fate w/ African. Amer. 74.3/58.6  Partisan Identity 74.5/61.2  Linked fate w/ Latinos 73.7/46.1  Race/ethnicity of co-workers 66.6/ The set of percentages represents Latino respondents who indicated some or a lot of commonality for native/foreign born, English/Spanish speakers. For the linked fate percentages, it is some/a lot vs. little/nothing. For partisan, it is partisans vs. non-partisans. And coworkers represent mixed group of coworkers vs. only Latinos.

45 IMMIGRATION POLICY

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52 Latino National Survey Executive Summary Demographic Tables Background Tables Questionnaire and Toplines Available at the website of the Washington Institute for the Study of Ethnicity, Race, and Sexuality (WISER), University of Washington, Seattle: