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Liberals, Conservatives, and Latin America: How Ideology Divides Americans over Immigration and Foreign Aid

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2022

Peter Hays Gries
Peter Hays Gries*
Affiliation:
University of Oklahoma
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Abstract

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Based on an original US survey, this article argues that, on average, US conservatives today feel substantially cooler toward Latin American countries than liberals do. They also desire massively tougher Mexico border policies and much less foreign aid than liberals do. Averages can hide substantial differences within groups, however. Not all liberals and conservatives are alike, and their differences shape attitudes toward Latin America. For instance, our survey reveals that libertarians and economic conservatives oppose foreign aid to places like Haiti out of a belief in the Protestant ethic of self-help and opposition to income redistribution. Communitarians and economic liberals, by contrast, are more supportive of foreign aid to Haiti. Cultural conservatives fear the impact of Mexican immigration on Christian values and a WASP American national identity more than cultural liberals do. But race and racism continue to divide Americans the most consistently in their attitudes and policy preferences toward Latin America. The policy implications of ideologically divided public opinion for US immigration reform are also addressed.

Resumen

Resumen

En base a una encuesta original estadounidense, este artículo sostiene que, en promedio, los conservadores estadounidenses tienen una actitud significativamente más fría hacía los países latinoamericanos que los liberales. Además, desean una política sumamente dura con respecto a las pólizas de la frontera con México y mucho menos ayuda internacional en comparación a los liberales. Sin embargo, los promedios pueden esconder diferencias significativas entre los grupos. Distintos tipos de liberales y conservadores se preocupan por distintos temas, lo cual influye diferencias ideológicas generalizadas. Por ejemplo, nuestra encuesta revela que los libertarios y los conservadores en la economía oponen ayuda internacional a países como Haití basado en la creencia en la ética protestante de auto-ayuda, y en la oposición a la redistributión de ingresos en términos generales. Los comunitarios y los liberales en la economía, por lo contrario, muestran más apoyo a la ayuda internacional a Haití. También, los conservadores culturales temen el impacto de la inmigración Mexicana en los valores cristianos y la identidad nacional estadounidense WASP (white Anglo-Saxon Protestant) más que los liberales. Sin embargo, es el racismo que sigue en polarizar a los estadounidenses de manera consistente en las actitudes y las preferencias políticas hacía América Latina. También se aborda el tema de las implicaciones políticas para la reforma migratoria de la opinión pública dividida ideológicamente.

Type
Research Article
Information
Latin American Research Review , Volume 51 , Issue 3 , 2016 , pp. 23 - 46
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 by the Latin American Studies Association

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