| Abstrakt: |
This study explores potential links between ethnic identity salience and consistency in self-reporting among Latino youth. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, I scrutinize the utility of the "Hispanic" umbrella term with a quantitative examination of the character and magnitude of fluidity in ethnic self-identification among a national sample of adolescents. Drawing upon theoretical motivations from a large body of assimilation and ethnic identity literature, I connect the observed fluidity to various contextual, ancestral, and phenotypic factors. I find that over 1/5th of the adolescents that report Hispanic ancestry in one setting fail to do so in another setting, despite being asked identical Hispanic origin questions. While Latino ancestry is the most significant predictor of inconsistent Hispanic identification, race and context also play important roles. I close by suggesting potential directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
