Voting Behavior Associations Among Latino Voters - Research Paper Example

Adult Personality Study: Voting Behavior Associations Among Latino Voters I. Purpose of Study The primary purpose of this research is to determine whether things that are important in predicting the behavior of white people regarding voting are also important to adults of Latino-American cultural identification. While some studies indicate that there are some underlying personality traits that make it possible to predict how white people will vote, other studies indicate that these motivations are different within the Mexican-American minority group. Many studies have shown that there are certain people who have a stronger need to cogitate (think) and evaluate than others. The authors state their purpose as an evaluation of “the interactions between need for cognition, need to evaluate, culture, automaticity and voting” (4). II. Subjects/Participants Used in the Study The subjects or participants used in this study were college students at the University of Texas in El Paso, Texas. The test group was attending the college in the months leading up to the 2002 Texas Congressional and Gubernatorial elections. There were more than 2,500 undergrads enrolled that year. The demographics of the college reflect the demographics of the community which is 75 percent Mexican-American. This means that the student population does not see itself as a minority and is more likely to vote true to their own cultural understanding. At the same time, the student body is a mix of traditional (just out of high school and in their first election season) and non-traditional (mid-20s or older and perhaps in their second or third election cycle) students. “Since it has both Latino and non-Latino students as well as voters in various stages of voting task familiarity, the 2002 UTEP allows us to test the cultural and automaticity (task familiarity) hypotheses in tandem to see which has a greater impact on the relationship between need for cognition, need to evaluate and voting” (4). The actual study returned 1,050 results as the beginning sample size, but this was reduced further. There were 225 Spanish surveys returned which were omitted from the study samples because of the difficulties and uncertainties in translating. Another 203 surveys were completed by Mexican nationals who are not eligible to vote in the United States, so those surveys were not included in the sample size either. In the end, the working sample size for the research was 705 undergraduates who attended one of two specific classes on one of two specific dates at the University of Texas at El Paso. The study also used the 2000 National Election Study and the 1998 Pilot Election Study to help provide some more generalized information about the population and voting behavior that would not be tested by the particular survey conducted with the undergrads. III. Method Used in the Study The method used for the study was the development of a specific survey based on other election surveys. The survey was given to all of the students attending classes at Univesity of Texas El Paso (UTEP) called Introduction to Politics and Introduction in American Government. It was only given to students who attended these classes on October 7, 2002 and October 23, 2002. There were almost 2,500 students enrolled in these classes at the time, but only 1,050 completed surveys were returned. The survey had 14 questions and took about 15 minutes to complete. The students knew that completing or not completing the survey would not have any effect on their grades in any way. The students did not know about the survey before classes started and the survey was not given on exam days. The answers given in the surveys were then analyzed and compared to each other and to the other surveys. IV. Findings/Results The findings strongly supported the idea that Mexican-Americans are less likely to display a higher need for cognition than non-Latinos as a cultural norm. They are also less likely to display a higher need to evaluate than non-Latinos as a cultural norm. In spite of the care taken in developing and delivering the survey, it was thought this might be connected to concepts of social dominance theory more than cultural norms, though. The study also found strong support for the idea that Mexican-Americans are more likely to associate a need for cognition with voting than non-Latinos and they are less likely to associate the need to evaluate with voting than non-Latinos. Finally, the study’s automaticity testing gave strong support for the idea that people in their first voting cycle are more likely to associate voting with cognition than people who are not in their first voting cycle and they are less likely to associate the need to evaluate with voting than people who are not in their first voting cycle. These results are similar to results found in the other surveys, but the researchers say more study is needed. Works Cited Levin, David J. (August 28-31, 2003). “Descartes was Right – Cogito Ergo Vote: The Automaticity of Everyday Voting as Opposed to Cultural Explanations of Individual Psychological Predisposition to Vote.” Paper Prepared for the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Philadelphia, PA. http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/6/2/7/7/p62776_index.html Read More