Experience of Discrimination Based on Race/Ethnicity and Distrust and Avoidance of Authorities Among Second-Generation Latinos in the US

Background. A great deal of research has addressed the association between welcoming or hostile contexts and civic and political behavior among second-generation immigrants. Studies focusing on the experiences and attitudes of second-generation Latinos have conceptualized positive elements (e.g., group-solidarity) and negative factors (e.g., anti-immigration bias) related to specifics outcomes, such as voting or activism. The current study examined factors associated with distrust and avoidance of authorities (e.g., government and police). In particular, we assessed whether experiencing individual-level discrimination based on race/ethnicity is associated with distrust or avoidance of authorities among second-generation Latinos in the U.S. 

Methods. This study used data from the Latino Second Generation Study, a national survey of political experiences and attitudes of 1,050 U.S. born Latinos, ages 18 to 31, of foreign-born parents. Data was collected online during the summer of 2013. Distrust and avoidance of authorities were measured using Likert-type questions with respondents expressing their degree of agreement with specific statements. Subsequently, a series of ordinal logistic regressions were estimated. The models included experience of individual-level discrimination based on race/ethnicity in different contexts (e.g., at school; by the police; in a government agency), each dichotomously measured based on a single survey question. Control variables included in the models were having undocumented parents and reporting having a family member, relative, friend or neighbor ever deported, with each dichotomously measured based on a single survey question.

Results. This study showed that experience of discrimination based on race/ethnicity in two contexts, namely school, and police, was related to distrust of government. Those respondents who reported being discriminated at school or by the police increased by 61% and by 54% respectively their odds of expressing distrust of the government (p<0.5). Moreover, a strong association was found between experience of discrimination and distrust of police when the specific context of such unfairness was the police itself (OR=2.19, p<0.001). Additional findings suggested that respondents who knew a friend or neighbor deported were more likely to be in favor of avoiding the police (OR=0.62, p<0.5), and those whose parents were at any point undocumented were more likely to report distrust of government (OR=1.44, p<0.1).

Conclusions. This study confirmed that experience of discrimination based on race/ethnicity at school and by the police were significantly associated with distrust of government among second-generation Latinos in the U.S. Such findings align with previous literature suggesting that discrimination based on race/ethnicity erodes the sense of belonging to the political community. Based on that, this study underlines the relevance of supporting culturally diverse communities and promoting multiculturalism in schools. Two additional findings (i.e., that having undocumented parents were related with distrust of government, and that knowing a friend or a neighbor deported was associated with avoidance of police) pointed a direction for future research, namely assessing the association between immigration policies and communities-authorities’ connection. In particular, it would be worthwhile to compare experiences and attitudes between second-generation Latinos living in counties/cities that support restrictive policies on immigration, and those living in counties/cities with some sort of sanctuary status.