Understanding the politics of Hispanic American women: Attitudes and behaviors of an emerging elite

It is the purpose of this study to learn more about the political attitudes and behaviors of Hispanic women in the United States. A survey with questions taken from the National Election Study was completed by 101 Hispanic women and 106 Anglo women at Texas Woman's University. The questionnaire examined demographics, political activity, voting behavior, political beliefs, and political knowledge.

When matched for age and education, the degree of political activity among Hispanic women was not significantly different from Anglo women. Both groups reported similar amounts of discussing politics with others, listening to political talk radio programs, visiting political interest sites, and being active in community organizations. The majority of both Hispanics and Anglos in this study were registered to vote; Hispanics identified themselves more often as Democrats and Anglos more often as Republicans. However, approximately one-third of the Hispanic sample was Protestant and these women were more likely to be Republicans.