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

Abstract

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.