Working hard to belong: Meritocratic ideology and deportation sentiments among Latino and Asian Americans

Abstract Why do some Latino and Asian Americans support conservative policies that may discriminate against them? Elaborating on system justification theory, we argue that ideologies such as meritocracy perpetuate the status quo by placating marginalized groups and assuaging their emotional concerns regarding their unfair treatment. This research examined the extent to which endorsing meritocratic ideology is associated with deportation policy attitudes and the degree of emotional concern about deportation among Latino and Asian Americans. Using data from the 2024 and 2020 Collaborative Multiracial Post‐Election Surveys, we find that higher meritocratic ideology predicted greater support for deportation policies and lower emotional concern about deportation for Latino and Asian Americans. This research demonstrates that Latino and Asian Americans who have ingrained the ethos of meritocracy are more likely to support conservative policies and develop sentiments that work against the interests of their communities.