The effect of racial and ethnic attitudes on Hispanic identity in the United States

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AbstractI study the determinants of choosing to identify as Hispanic among individuals who are eligible—those whose parents, grandparents, or themselves were born in a Spanish‐speaking country. Using a multiple proxy regression approach, I construct a bias measure based on the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and the American National Election Studies (ANES). I find that individuals with Hispanic ancestry are significantly less likely to self‐identify as Hispanic if they reside in states with high levels of bias. A one standard deviation increase in bias reduces self‐reported Hispanic identity by 4 percentage points among all Hispanics. These effects are more pronounced among second‐generation immigrants with both parents born in a Spanish‐speaking country compared to children of inter‐ethnic parents. These findings have implications for interpreting research on ethnic gaps in economic outcomes and for accurately counting the population.