The Effect of National Mood on Mexican American Political Opinion

Abstract

In 1996, there was a pervasive anti-immigrant, anti-Latino mood in the country, caused by passage of Proposition 187 in California and national welfare reform and immigration reform bills. But a few years later attitudes toward Latinos had shifted; laws were reversed and both major political parties were pursuing Latino votes. Substantial research on the general public has demonstrated that events influence public opinion; correspondingly, this shift in the public mood influenced the political concerns of Chicago Mexican Americans. In reaction to the anti-Latino atmosphere, Mexican Americans became more concerned about racism and discrimination. When the anti-Latino mood abated, Chicago Mexican Americans responded by shifting their agenda from an issue that focused on their ethnic identity to issues shared by people of all races and ethnicities: crime, gangs, and drugs. A similar shift is found among noncitizens of Mexican descent.