Keywords

Immigration, Public Opinion, Hispanic, Southern Distinctiveness, Immigrant Backlash, Social Contact, Economic Insecurity, Political Knowledge, National Identity, Patriotism, Group Pride, Racism

Abstract

Few issues in the contemporary American political and social environments are as salient and emotionally charged as the debate over immigration. The thesis tests several competing hypotheses concerning the determinants of public opinion – among white respondents – on immigration issues. These include: the contextual considerations of southern residence and proximity to large numbers of Hispanic immigrants, as well as the individual-level factors of economic insecurity, political knowledge, national identity, group pride, and racism. Using data from the 2004 American National Election Study, the thesis provides a critical test of the competing hypotheses using multivariate analysis. Furthermore, conditional relationships are posited, facilitating a more refined analysis of the structure of attitudes on immigration issues. The results indicate that racism, group pride, symbolic patriotism, ideology, and isolationism are the most consistent and significant predictors of immigration policy preferences. The use of four distinct dependent variable questions also highlights the inconsistency in public opinion regarding immigration and the division between public perception of documented and undocumented entries. Future research should focus on the interrelationship between variables that are used by the individual to define group associations, as well as the change in national and personal identity brought about by the events of September 11th, 2001.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2006

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Knuckey, Jonathan

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Political Science

Degree Program

Political Science

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0001407

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0001407

Language

English

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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