Sweeping Study of Latinos Offers Some Surprises

Despite widespread perceptions to the contrary, the nation’s fast-growing Latino population is less a homogenous sociopolitical monolith than a diverse patchwork of distinct, sometimes conflicting viewpoints and interests.

That conclusion is the core finding of a soon-to-be released study that is billed as the largest survey of the U.S. Latino population, focusing on those of Mexican, Cuban and Puerto Rican ancestry.

“This is not a simple population; you can’t generalize,” said Rodolfo O. de la Garza, a professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin who directed the study and discussed some preliminary results Friday during a forum at Loyola Marymount University.

Among the survey’s somewhat surprising findings:

* The majority of Latinos surveyed agreed that there are too many immigrants coming to the United States. Respondents of Mexican and Puerto Rican backgrounds expressed greater dissatisfaction with the numbers of immigrants than non-Latino whites who were also interviewed.

* On the contentious issue of abortion, more than one-third of people of Mexican and Cuban backgrounds said the procedure should “always” be permitted--an unexpected finding, especially considering the prevalence of Roman Catholic ideology throughout Latin America. Among those of Puerto Rican ancestry, 28% said abortion should “always” be allowed.

* More than one-third of each group said women would be “better off” if they took careers and jobs--a seeming rejection of the stereotype of machismo in Latino culture. Only about one-quarter of non-Latino whites responded affirmatively when asked the same question.

* At least 40% of Latinos interviewed agreed that English should be the official language. Almost 80% of non-Latino whites concurred.

Other findings tend to confirm long-held assumptions: Most people of Cuban ancestry consider themselves conservative, but Mexican-Americans and Puerto Ricans generally view themselves as moderate. More than 80% of all interviewed back bilingual education.

The study involved interviews with more than 2,800 people in dozens of communities nationwide, including Los Angeles. The three groups represent the great majority of Latinos living in the United States. Those queried were selected as being representative of the broad economic and social makeup of their communities.

The survey also included almost 500 non-Latino whites to provide a comparison.

Part of the motivation for the survey, researchers said, was to offset stereotypes that depict Latinos adhering to narrow political and social beliefs.

“In my view, this should help quiet the tendency to cling to racially loaded images of these populations,” said De la Garza.

The study’s authors, in a report released earlier this year, said that many Latinos’ misgivings about continued immigration reflects a nationwide ambivalence about the continued arrival of many new settlers who are perceived to be threatening--socially or economically.

“Our findings should quiet those Latino advocates and critics who claim that Latinos are united by an ethnic bond that distinguishes their policy preferences from those of other Americans,” the report said.

In Los Angeles, this year’s riots provided a vivid illustration that the city’s huge Latino population faces greatly varied realities: Established Mexican-American communities on the Eastside and elsewhere escaped major damage, while the Pico-Union neighborhood and other enclaves housing new Latino immigrants were hit hard.

Activists, academics and others have voiced the hope that a greater recognition of the diversity of the region’s Latino community will aid in developing better means of reaching out to the ever-expanding populations of newcomers from Mexico, Central America and elsewhere.

“Most new immigrants in California and elsewhere just aren’t plugged in,” said Fernando Guerra, professor of political science and Chicano studies at Loyola Marymount. “So when the riots broke out, there was no one they could look up to. No one to help channel their frustration.”

The Latino population, bolstered by continued immigration and higher-than-average birthrates, is growing rapidly. Census data from 1990 found that more than 25% of California’s population was Latino, compared to about 19% a decade earlier. Nationwide, the proportion grew from 6.4% to 9% during the 10-year span.

Along the ideological spectrum, about 40% of Cuban-Americans categorized themselves as conservative or very conservative, compared to 21% of Mexican-Americans and 30% of Puerto Ricans. There was widespread consensus that government should play a central role in solving national and local problems.

Respondents generally favored capital punishment: 69% of Cuban-Americans, 65% of Mexican-Americans, and 53% of Puerto Ricans.

The final results of the study, known as the Latino National Political Survey, are expected to be released Dec. 15 in Washington. Grants from the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Spencer Foundation and Tinker Foundation funded the study.

Diverse Opinions

The Latino National Political Survey queried 2,817 Latinos and almost 500 Anglos on themes ranging from abortion to politics to ideological identity. The study, funded by several major foundations, is called the largest survey ever to focus specifically on the Latino community in the United States. Here are responses on three issues, broken down by ethnic background. Figures are in percentages. English should be the official language.

PUERTO RESPONSE MEXICAN RICAN CUBAN ANGLO Strongly agree 13.7 12.1 10.7 45.6 Agree 30.7 36.8 29.3 33.7 Disagree 39.2 41.2 47.5 17.3 Strongly disagree 16.4 10.0 12.4 3.4

There are too many immigrants.

PUERTO RESPONSE MEXICAN RICAN CUBAN ANGLO Strongly agree 20.2 18.5 11.0 30.5 Agree 55.0 60.9 54.5 43.3 Disagree 22.9 19.3 32.5 22.3 Strongly disagree 1.9 1.4 2.0 3.9

Self-description of political ideology.

PUERTO RESPONSE MEXICAN RICAN CUBAN ANGLO Very liberal 4.9 7.0 3.6 3.7 Liberal 11.6 12.3 13.0 9.1 Slightly liberal 12.1 9.2 6.3 13.3 Moderate 35.4 24.7 22.5 34.6 Slightly conservative 14.8 16.3 14.3 16.3 Conservative 15.4 22.7 34.2 17.8 Very conservative 5.8 7.8 6.0 5.2

Source: Latino National Political Survey