Assessing the role of ethnic enclaves in the relationship between neighborhood conditions and participation in neighborhood-focused activism among Latinos in Chicago

Abstract

ABSTRACT Latinos in the US often settle in ethnic enclave neighborhoods, which research and theory suggests have residents who are less engaged in neighborhood activism. However, we know little about the relationship between living in a Latino ethnic enclave compared to other types of neighborhoods and engaging in neighborhood-focused activism among Latinos. This study, therefore, investigates whether both neighborhood organizational resources and neighborhood needs influence participation in neighborhood-focused activism among Chicago Latinos, and especially, whether those relationships are strongest in Latino ethnic enclave neighborhoods. We conducted multilevel logistic regression predicting neighborhood activism among a subsample of Latino respondents from the Chicago Community Adult Health Study but found no significant neighborhood effects. However, we examined only residents of Mexican descent and found that both organizational resources and needs had the largest, positive effects on neighborhood activism in predominantly Mexican descent neighborhoods. This study contributes to our understanding of neighborhood context and Latino engagement.