Perceptions of Discrimination Among Latinos

Background and Purpose:

Research, mostly with African Americans, has shown that perceived discrimination is related to negative mental and physical outcomes (Williams, 2000). Researchers have further found that perceptions of discrimination are related to stress and high blood pressure (Krieger & Sidney (1996). More recent research has shown that discrimination also has a negative effect on income levels, educational attainment, and mental health outcomes for Latinos (Araujo & Borrell, 2006). The purpose of this study was to examine prevalence, correlates, and predictors of perceptions of discrimination among Latinos in the United States.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the 2007 National Survey of Latinos conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center. The study was a representative sample of 2,000 adult Latinos in the United States who were interviewed by telephone in English or Spanish from October 3 to November 9, 2007. The dependent variable was a binary variable, “Have you been discriminated against or treated unfairly” (yes/no). We hypothesized that potential predictors of perceived discrimination included gender, age, education, level of income, marital status, employment status, being foreign born, citizenship status, and language proficiency in English. Multivariate logistical regressions were used to model the relationship between perceived discrimination and explanatory variables.

Results:

In response to the question, “Have you been discriminated against or experienced unfair treatment, 62.2% (n=1,796) of the respondents said “yes”. Significant predictor variables included self-identified race (those who identified as White perceived the least discrimination), gender (males perceived more discrimination than females), income (those with higher incomes perceived less discrimination), age (younger respondents were more likely to perceive discrimination) and citizenship status (non-citizens perceived more discrimination than citizens). There were no statistically significant bivariate subgroup variations in perceived discrimination by education, level of English, being foreign born, marital status, or employment status. In chi-square analyses, perceptions of discrimination did not vary significantly according to the region or area of the country (urban vs. rural, southwest vs. northeast). Conclusions and Implications:

As the old saying goes, “Perception is reality and real in its consequences”. The Latino population has increased tremendously in the United States, mainly due to immigration. Latinos tend to be younger and less educated than the U.S. population as a whole. Native anti-immigration sentiment often spreads to others who are citizens. Nightly newscasts by commentators in the tradition of late 19th and 20th century muckrakers helps spread negative feelings towards Hispanics. In addition, some states have passed harsh and punitive legislation ostensibly aimed at undocumented Latinos, but which affect all Latinos. The social work profession should take a more vigorous policy stance against these discriminatory policies. In addition, at the micro level, social workers should be alert to, and take measures to ameliorate, the social and emotional consequences of discrimination aimed at Hispanics.

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