Will Latinos become Republicans? Not if it depends on being religious
*So apparently, with each generation of Latinos in the U.S., they become more secular; and the more economically stable the less likely they are to go to church. To quote the article, “If being religious is what makes you a Republican, that’s bad news.” VL
By Sarah Allen Gershon, Adrian D. Pantoja and J. Benjamin Taylor, The Washington Post
As far back as Ronald Reagan, politicians have been urging Latinos — who historically have voted overwhelmingly for Democrats — to move over to the Republican Party. The idea has been that, putting questions of immigration aside, Latinos as a whole are conservative about hard work, family values, and religious dedication, which Republicans generally consider to be “their” values.
[pullquote][tweet_dis]” … like other immigrant groups, Latinos become more Americanized — secularized — with each generation.”[/tweet_dis][/pullquote]But do they stay that way once they are in the U.S.? If the Republicans continue being the party of strict borders, English-only, and deportation, they’re unlikely to get the first generation to become Republican voters. And like other immigrant groups, Latinos become more Americanized — secularized — with each generation.
In debating why, political science has had two main theories: modernization theory, which suggests that those who come from less developed countries become more secular with each passing generation, and existential security theory, which predicts that when people are more economically secure, they no longer turn to church or religion for reinforcement.
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[Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr]
