Hispanics in the United States Congress

• In Event: Political Communication Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual Poster Session: Political Communication Virtual Poster Session II

Abstract

As Hispanic representation in Congress grows, it has become apparent that this group is much more diverse and strategic than is commonly assumed. I study how Hispanic Members of Congress use Twitter to communicate with their constituents and their choice to utilize English or Spanish in their communications. I find that Hispanics use Spanish at a much higher rate when communicating their position towards Latin American affairs, when sharing information about the Covid-19 pandemic, and on how to participate in the US Census. Findings also show that communication with partisan content is much less likely to be in Spanish. Overall, these findings show that the use of Spanish is strategic and tends to be used at a much higher rate when the audience is perceived to be Hispanic. On the other hand, using Spanish is much less likely when the audience is perceived to be larger than the Hispanic population.

Author

• Carlos Daniel Gutierrez Mannix