From Consciousness to Action: Experiments on Threat and Latino Group Consciousness

• In Event: New Research in Latino Politics: Here and Abroad

Abstract

Prior research suggests that individuals who are group consciousness are also politically involved because they seek to improve the standing of their group. But much of the research involving group consciousness relies on self reported survey measures rather than behavioral outcomes.In this paper, I clarify the role of threatening political rhetoric in influencing political behavior. In a novel experiment, I prime respondents with either positive or negative messages about immigration, and then I I ask respondents to allocate resources between two groups and then measure willingness to posting on social media on behalf of their group. I show that respondents who are group conscious are always more likely to be motivated to engage in political behavior on behalf of their group, but threatening political rhetoric may increase some forms of political participation even among those low in group consciousness.

Author

• Angela Gutierrez, UCLA