Latino Threat Perceptions and Immigration Attitudes: An Examination Across Generations of Latinos

Recently, immigration has been a major focus in U.S. politics, more importantly with the current administration pushing for the implementation of punitive immigration policies. Research shows that perceived Latino threat is associated with support Trump and harsh border controls. While existing research has expanded the perceived Latino threat and punitive border control attitudes among non-Latinos, less is known about how perceived Latino threat and punitive border control attitudes function within their own group and how they might vary across different generations of Latinos. Accordingly, there has been a shift in Latino voting preferences, specifically across different generations of Latinos. Research polls has found that generations that have remained in the United States the longest showed support for Trump in 2016, more compared to first-generation Latinos. Using primary national data from a survey sample of Latinos (N = 289) living in the United States, this study aims to expand prior work by analyzing perceived Latino threat and punitive border control attitudes within the Latino community. Findings from the study show that there is no relationship between respondents who identify as first-generation Latino and perceived Latino threat. First-generation Latinos reported lower levels of punitiveness, however when accounting for Latino identity and immigrant prejudice, they are no longer significant. Moreover, respondents who identify as second-generation Latino reported lower perceptions of Latino threat and punitiveness, relative to third-generation plus Latinos. Generational status was a significant moderator of perceived Latino threat on punitiveness. These effects vary by threat type. Respondents who identify as second-generation show that when perceiving greater than average economic threats, they become more supportive of border control policies. Policy implications include future voting preferences and the potential political shift of further generations of Latinos, and it’s impacts of support for harsh border control policies.