Most Americans, despite their best intentions, harbor a negative bias against Latino immigrants, which deeply colors their outlook on policy proposals for immigration reform, according to research findings by Vanderbilt University political scientist Efren Perez.
鈥淚 found that when the issue of immigration is broached, whether legal or illegal, 聽聽many individuals automatically think of Latino immigrants,鈥� Perez said. 鈥淭hese attitudes, which lurk in one鈥檚 subconscious, can influence people鈥檚 judgments and behavior, often without their awareness and despite their best efforts to avoid them.鈥�
In an original survey-experiment, the assistant professor of political science used the implicit association test, a measure of how fast people are able to sort certain words into different categories, to assess people鈥檚 implicit attitude toward Latino immigrants. 鈥淔irst, I found that the participants clearly had an automatic negative attitude toward Latino immigrants,鈥� Perez said. 鈥淪econd, these implicit attitudes shape individuals鈥� immigration policy judgments, even when survey participants were consciously directed to focus on non-Latino immigrants.鈥�
Perez said his research provides insight into why there is intense opposition among many voters in the United States to enacting any type of immigration reform, and should prompt widespread concern among immigrants from all countries, including those from Latin America.
Perez is not surprised that President Obama is renewing his push for immigration reform. 鈥淭he administration understands the long term importance of building on the support of Hispanics who voted Democratic in 2008,鈥� Perez said. 鈥淚f you look at the state-by-state victories that Obama received, especially out West, garnering the Hispanic vote was crucial. [rquote]Now the irony with some states passing laws perceived as anti-immigrant is that it could end up politicizing a segment of the Latino community that never attached much importance to its ethnic identity. [/rquote]Many of these U.S.-born Hispanics have been here for several generations, but they鈥檙e taking notice because of the bluntness of the rhetoric surrounding these types of proposals.鈥�
Perez鈥檚 research demonstrates that many people make little distinction between Latino immigrants and Latinos born in the United States.
鈥淭he line between foreign-born and native-born Latinos is blurred, which has implications for the application of controversial immigration laws in Arizona and now Tennessee,鈥� he said.
Perez鈥檚 article 鈥淓xplicit Evidence on the Import of Implicit Attitudes: The IAT and Immigration Policy Judgments鈥� is to be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Political Behavior.