Chapter 6: Disaggregating the Latina/o/x “umbrella”: The political attitudes of US Colombians

Abstract

Although scholars theoretically acknowledge the diversity of the Latina/o/x vote, fewstudies have investigated similarities or differences beyond those of the largest Latina/o/xgroups. To better understand the nuance of the Latina/o/x vote, this article examines the political preferences of Colombian Americans relative to those of other Latina/o/xsubgroups in the United States. We pool data from six surveys of Latinas/os/xsduring the 2016 presidential election to construct the first and largest nationallyrepresentative sample of US Colombians. Our findings highlight many similaritiesbetween Colombian Americans and other Latinas/os/xs, including partisan affiliationand likelihood of voting. At the same time, there are differences in support for individual political candidates, which suggests that important sources of heterogeneityare present within the Latina/o/x vote. Although the concept of the “Latina/o/x vote”holds ground because of the commonalities shared by subgroups under this umbrella,the notable differences warrant careful analysis and consideration.