Attitudes toward Descriptive Representation of Women and Latinos

• In Event: Gender and Legislative Politics

Abstract

Attitudes toward descriptive representation can have important implications for broader attitudes toward the political system. We examine attitudes toward increasing the number of women and the number of Latinos in government. To do so, we use the 2016 American National Election Study to analyze who are likely to support increasing numbers of these groups, and whether we see variation in attitudes based on whether diverse representatives are congruent with a respondents’ gender and racial/ethnic group. In particular, we analyze the extent to which partisanship drives these attitudes in this highly polarized climate, or group interest (with women preferring more women, and Latinos preferring greater numbers of Hispanic representatives). We find that partisanship is eclipsed by group and ideological factors, with a sense of linked fate and racial resentment being most influential in shaping attitudes about descriptive representation in 2016. In examining variation in attitudes by gender, race/ethnicity, and partisanship, we found broad similarities in the factors that drive attitudes about descriptive representation – and diverse representation more generally – across groups. However, these factors ran counter to our expectations about the primacy of identity congruence and political party.

Authors

• Jennifer C. Lucas

• Heather Silber Mohamed, Clark University