ABSTRACT
The objective of the Latino National Political Survey (LNPS) was to collect basic data describing Latino political values, attitudes, and behavior. The LNPS traces familial histories for three generations and measures language competence subjectively and objectively. The LNPS separates national origin from ethnicity. It determines an individual’s national heritage, and with a series of questions it then determines the extent to which that person identifies ethnically. The LNPS included Mexicans, Cubans, and Puerto Ricans because they are the largest and politically the most significant Latino national-origin groups. As of March 1990, the Census Bureau estimated that Mexicans constituted approximately 64 percent of all Hispanics, while Puerto Ricans and Cubans were 11 and 5 percent, respectively. In total, the LNPS includes 1,546 Mexicans, 589 Puerto Ricans, and 682 Cubans. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
