Acculturation Effects on Trust in National and Local Government Among Mexican Americans^*

Abstract

The objectives of this article are to examine the impact of acculturation on the levels of trust in both the national and local governments in a long-term minority-majority community and to consider the effect on Mexican Americans' level of trust of long-term co-ethnic control of local government. Copyright (c) 2006 Southwestern Social Science Association.

Political Trust as Modest Expectations: <i>Exploring Immigrants’ Falling Confidence in Swedish Political Institutions</i>

“…Similar results are reported in studies concerning Latin American immigrants; in this particular category, those who had migrated to the USA tend to report higher political trust than members of the white majority population (Michelson 2003;Weaver 2003;Wenzel 2006).…”

Determinants of Rural Latino Trust in the Federal Government

“…Anglos, for instance, have higher levels of trust than African Americans (Wenzel, 2006). The evidence for Latinos, however, is more mixed (Wenzel, 2006).…”

“…Anglos, for instance, have higher levels of trust than African Americans (Wenzel, 2006). The evidence for Latinos, however, is more mixed (Wenzel, 2006). Early studies of trust among Latinos identified a lower level of trust among Latinos when compared with Whites (de La Garza et al, 1992).…”

“…Trust for the Mexican government led to a higher level of trust in the United States's government among immigrants, indicating that political socialization and ideology may matter across contexts (Wals, 2011(Wals, , 2013. Acculturation, that is, the process by which Latinos acquire the norms and attitudes of the host society, can also influence political trust (Michelson, 2001(Michelson, , 2007Wenzel, 2006). More specifically, as immigrants stay in the country longer, they tend to adopt the dominant culture, and thus, they can adopt the skepticism about the government prominent in the American society (acculturation theory).…”

“…Trust in government has attracted attention by scholars for many years (Citrin, 1974;Easton, 1965;Fukuyama, 1995;Herreros, 2004;Hetherington & Husser, 2012;Miller, 1974a;Nye et al, 1997). However, few works have studied trust in government among Latinos (Abrajano & Alvarez, 2010;Michelson, 2001Michelson, , 2003Michelson, , 2007Wenzel, 2006). In addition, this prior research has tended to examine populations that are located in areas with a substantial and longstanding Latino presence, such as South Texas or the Central Valley of California.…”