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Cultural Norms and Immigrants in the United States: The Green Card Experiment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 January 2018

Lucila Figueroa
Lucila Figueroa*
Affiliation:
Department of Politics, University of Virginia
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Lucila Figueroa, Department of Politics, University of Virginia. E-mail: lucilaf@stanford.edu
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Abstract

This paper explores the effect of norms—standards of conduct dictated by an identity—on white, American immigration attitudes. Results from a survey experiment show that when respondents evaluate immigrants who violate cultural norms, by speaking a non-English language and/or rooting for a foreign soccer team, respondents are less supportive of green cards for immigrants. Moreover, norm violations are consequential for tolerant, prejudiced, liberal, moderate, and conservative respondents. Valuing cultural norms is a shared and pervasive aspect of immigration attitudes, and targeting norms for inquiry brings into view the societal structure of opposition to immigration. However, norm violations affect green card support among liberals only in evaluations of Latino immigrants, and among conservatives only in evaluations of European immigrants.

Keywords

American politicsimmigrationrace and ethnic politicsgreen cardnormsbehaviorattitudesEnglishsoccerfootballcultureimmigrants
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics , Volume 3 , Issue 2 , September 2018 , pp. 293 - 330
Copyright
Copyright © The Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2018 

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