Analysis of polling data from Latino Decisions and the Washington Poll indicates there is a public consensus that Latinos are not as welcome as whites in either the Republican or Democratic party. Respondents were asked to rate (on a scale of zero to 10) how welcoming they think each party is toward different ethnic and racial groups. Latino and Non-Latinos agree that both parties are more welcoming toward whites than Latinos. All racial and ethnic groups assigned whites higher scores on the welcome scale irrespective of party. The surveys asked, “On a scale of 0 – 10, how welcoming do you think the [ Democrat / Republican ] Party is towards [ Latinos / Whites ]?”
There is also clear agreement that the Republican Party exhibits significantly less welcome toward Latinos relative to whites. Using a scale of 0 to 10 where zero is most unwelcome and ten is most welcome, the GOP received low average scores on their disposition toward Latinos: 5.1 and 5.7 among Latinos and non-Latinos, respectively. In contrast, whites are viewed as very welcome in the GOP, with averages of 8.2 and 8.8. Democrats are seen as more Latino-friendly, garnering scores of 7 and above from both subsets of voters. The perception that whites are more enthusiastically received holds for the Democratic party too; Latinos and Non-Latinos assign whites higher mean scores.
Even though 54% of Latinos identify as Democrats, only 33% view the Democratic Party as strongly welcoming to Latinos. On the other hand, 41% of Latinos and 53% of non-Latinos perceive whites as very welcome by the party. The disjuncture between party identification and feelings of welcome hint that Latino voter turnout and vote choices may continue to be less predictable relative to other groups.
A healthy majority of the public – 67% of Non-Latinos and 59% of Latinos – views the Republican Party as very welcoming toward whites. Conversely, very few — only 10% of Latinos and 5% of non-Latinos – think the GOP shares that enthusiasm for Latinos. Even though 36% of Latinos identify as conservative, and another 32% as moderate, Republican prospects at cultivating those ideological orientations are limited by widely held perceptions that the party does not welcome them.
Voters are customers in the electoral marketplace, and the customer is always right. It does not really matter if party leaders view themselves as inviting to diverse electorates; it is voter perceptions that matter because they cast ballots, or not. The consensus that Republicans are unwelcoming to Latinos, and that whites are more strongly welcome in both parties indicates that neither party has been successful in conveying an image of inclusiveness that resonates with voters.
Sylvia Manzano is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University
This is truly a perfect post. I found a lot of good stuff here. It’s amazing. What is SEO
Rapidshare downloads
WEB DESIGN
Of course Latinos are less welcome than whites in both major parties!!
This is no surprise.It’s always been that way.Politics is just one reflection amongst many in american society which mirror racism and xenophobia towards Latinos.
Politics no doubt is a dirty cynical game where winning is everything.Latinos made up only 9% of the total vote in the 08 elections.Whites made up the vast majority of voters.. approximately eight times more whites voted than latinos.
so who do you think both parties will welcome more??
hate to say it but Latinos are the “rodney dangerfields” of american politics-”I get no respect”..
Latinos in the american political arena are perceived by establishment politics as mediocre bumblers,wishy-washy pushovers who lack the dynamism,aggression and intellectual brilliance of white or black political politicians/ thinkers ..the things that work in this country..
Both democratic and republican parties lack respect for Latino politics…Yes,they will tolerate and use Latinos for votes during election time..but other wise consider them as annoyances..”out of sight..out of mind”..
I have long suspected this is the case, that Anglos are more accepted into the mainstream parties. This was in fact the basis for La Raza Unida in 1970, that both parties were not open to Latinos and Latino issues. Of course things are different now, but the fact that only 33% of Latinos rate the Democrat party “very welcoming” is a huge disappointment, and we need to push hard to get the Dems to open their eyes to the new America!