Ethnic Cues, Latino Skin Tone, and Voter Preferences: An Experimental Test

Abstract

ObjectiveResearch suggests that voters rely on cognitive heuristics to simplify the evaluative process. Such heuristics include candidate race and other visible characteristics. We set out to test whether Americans use Latino ethnicity as a heuristic to evaluate candidates, and whether the darkness of Latino candidates’ skin tone influences these judgments. Finally, we examine individual‐level partisan differences in the application of these heuristics.MethodsWe leverage a large sample posttest experimental design that manipulates candidate ethnicity and skin tone.ResultsSome respondents in our sample clearly use ethnicity as a heuristic but skin tone does not seem to matter. Democrats evaluated Latino candidates, regardless of skin tone, more positively than they did a white candidate. Republicans seemed immune to ethnic cues or skin tone.ConclusionThese results shed light on how Latino ethnicity shapes voter preferences, but these tests need to be extended to cross‐sectional data.