Political Discussion Networks and Political Engagement for Voters of Color

• In Event: Political Mobilization and Race

Abstract

Despite the a large and growing literature documenting the powerful and positive role that political discussion networks exert on the political behavior among whites (Huckfeldt and Sprague 1995), we know little about how political discussion networks affect political behavior among voters of color (one exception is Leighley and Matsubayashi 2009). To fill this void in the existing literature, we conducted a novel and original survey of voters of color in California to gather information on their political discussion networks and political engagement. The social positioning of ethnoracial groups in society, we contend, will affect how these network effects influence their levels of political engagement. Indeed, our results support this contention. While we find that network characteristics (measured as size, frequency of discussion and partisan homogeneity) are positive predictors of turnout and non-electoral participation, the effects are not uniform across Black, Latino and Asian American respondents. This is the first study that examines the relationship between political discussion network characteristics and the precursors to political engagement among voters of color. Our analysis demonstrates that the precursors to political engagement offered by political discussion networks are not afforded equally across the U.S. electorate, with important implications for broader patterns of engagement.

Authors

• Taylor Nicole Carlson, University of California, San Diego

• Marisa Abrajano

• Lisa Garcia Bedolla, University of California, Berkeley