Assistant Professor of Political Science Co-Authors Study on Racial Stereotypes

Morgantown, WV, July 24, 2006:  As the current political debate over illegal immigration continues, the overwhelming evidence of demographic change is indisputable. Dr. Thomas J. Scotto, assistant professor of Political Science in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University, has co-authored a study showing one effect of the rising Latino populations in the United States: increased stereotypes.

Dr. Scotto’s study, “Racial Distancing in a Southern City: Latino Immigrants’ Views of Black Americans,” will be published in the August issue of the Journal of Politics. In it he suggests that the influx of immigration to the South has sparked an increase in racial tension, particularly between Latinos and African-Americans. While previous research have reported findings on Caucasian and minority interactions, research on interminority group issues of prejudice and stereotyping is limited, making this study of particular interest.

“Race relations between African-Americans and Whites have always been a defining aspect of Southern politics,” Dr. Scotto explained. “However, the 1990s brought changes to the black-white power structure as Latinos made their presence known.”

The city of Durham, N.C. was chosen as the city of focus because of the pre-existing African American and Caucasian communities and the rise in the Latino population from 1.3 percent in 1990 to 8.6 percent in 2000. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 53 percent of the growth in the Latino population is the result of immigration.

“We were interested in how the Latino community viewed the established African-American and white populations and how these established communities viewed Latinos, many of whom recently immigrated,” Dr. Scotto continued. “Our questions focused on whether Latinos held negative stereotypes of African-Americans, whether the amount of time spent in the community would mitigate these stereotypes and whether Latinos felt that they had more in common with white or African-American residents.”

After surveying 500 participants of various racial backgrounds, the study found that African-Americans viewed Latinos much more favorably than Latinos viewed African-Americans. Nearly three-fourths of African-Americans felt most or almost all Latinos are hardworking while only 9.2 percent of Latinos felt that most or almost all African-Americans are hardworking.

“We found higher levels of education and contact with African-Americans in a social setting reduced the stereotyping,” Dr. Scotto concluded. “Although such a finding makes us hopeful for the future of Latino-African American relations in the South, our results also indicate that it is a relationship that will not simply develop magically over time. This is because the length of time a Latino/a was in the country did not significantly reduce the stereotypes the individual had toward African-Americans.”

Dr. Thomas Scotto earned his PhD from Duke University in 2005 and currently teaches courses at WVU in American Politics and Research Methods and Statistics. He specializes in American and Canadian public opinion.

The study was co-authored by faculty members from Duke University, University of Chicago, University of Connecticut, St. Augustine’s College and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The study was funded by the Ford Foundation.

The study is available in the August issue of the Journal of Politics at http://journalofpolitics.org/art68_3.html#a7 . For more information, please contact Dr. Thomas J. Scotto at Thomas.Scotto@mail.wvu.edu.

W-V-U