Racism Among Latinos and Its Influence on Latino Policy Attitudes

Scholars find suggestive evidence that Latino prejudice and stereotypes toward Blacks are consequential for Latino policy attitudes (Hunt 2016; Krupnikov and Piston 2016; Lopez and Pantoja 2004). However, these studies do not theoretically explain why Latinos may hold racially prejudiced views against Blacks in the first place. And to date no study explains why such prejudice among Latinos may cause them to oppose policies that aid their own group, such as affirmative action. This project tackles these questions directly via a mixed-method approach using historical research, analyses of observational data, and original survey experimentation. Overall, this dissertation demonstrates that anti-Black racial prejudice among Latinos has historical precedent outside the United States. Furthermore, this project provides empirical evidence that anti-Black racial prejudice is present among Latinos at nearly identical levels and nearly identical intensity as is found among non-Hispanic Whites. Lastly, not only does anti-Black prejudice among Latinos correlate with Latino policy attitudes, this project shows it is a primary causal driver of Latino public policy attitudes.