The Social Context of Latino Threat and Punitive Latino Sentiment

Prior research on the racial threat perspective and social control typically relies on aggregate- level demographic measures and focuses on racial, rather than on Latino group, composition. This predominant focus in research on racial threat and social control makes it unclear whether the assumed li...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social problems (Berkeley, Calif.) Calif.), 2015-02, Vol.62 (1), p.68-92
Main Authors: Stewart, Eric A., Martinez, Ramiro, Baumer, Eric P., Gertz, Marc
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitudes
Composition
Criminal law
Economic Development
Group Composition
Hispanic Americans
Hispanics
Latin American Cultural Groups
Offenders
Population growth
Residents
Social Control
Social Environment
Threat
Threats
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Summary:Prior research on the racial threat perspective and social control typically relies on aggregate- level demographic measures and focuses on racial, rather than on Latino group, composition. This predominant focus in research on racial threat and social control makes it unclear whether the assumed linkages are confined to one subordinate group or whether other groups, such as Latinos, are viewed as threatening and elicit heightened social control reactions as well. In the current study, we use data from the Punitive Attitudes Toward Hispanic (PATH) Study, a national sample of U.S. residents to investigate the influence of macro- and micro-level measures of Latino group threat on punitive Latino sentiment. More specifically, we use multilevel models to detect direct and interactive relationships between Latino presence and perceived Latino threat on punitive sentiment. The findings show that Latino population growth and perceived Latino criminal and economic threat significantly predict punitive Latino sentiment. Additionally, multiplicative models suggest that the effect of perceived criminal threat on punitive Latino sentiment is most pronounced in settings that have experienced recent growth in the size of the Latino population.
ISSN:0037-7791
1533-8533
DOI:10.1093/socpro/spu002