THE VARIED EFFECTS OF AUTHORITARIANISM ON DOMESTIC POLICY ATTITUDES AND PARTY IDENTIFICATION: CONTRASTING LATINOS AND NON HISPANIC WHITES

Abstract

Authoritarianism is a prevalent topic within the study of political psychology and has been able to explain many differences in why individuals have such divergent political identities and policy preferences. This paper looks into the effects of authoritarianism on domestic policy preferences and political identity for minority groups, specifically the Hispanic population located in the Western United States. By using data from the 2020 Western States survey – a dataset that focuses on the western United States – I was able to compare the effects of authoritarianism between Hispanic and non-Hispanic voters on a range of policy issues and their political identification. The analysis then leads to the conclusion that authoritarianism has a similar effect on policy preferences for Hispanic minorities, in relation to non-Hispanic whites, but does not affect their political identity in the same way.