ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the levels and types of information available to survey respondents. It explores three interrelated questions: media use; problem solving; and political knowledge. Television was the most frequently dted source of news; newspapers were the second-most-frequently used news source. Anglos and Cubans relied on newspapers at higher rates than did Mexicans or Puerto Ricans. English-language media were preferred to either bilingual or Spanish-language media. For the most part, respondents did not talk about political issues. Cubans and Anglos were more likely to talk about political problems than were Mexicans and Puerto Ricans. A majority of respondents could correctly identify the ideological positions of Ronald Reagan and Jesse Jackson. Approximately 32 percent of Mexican respondents, 31 percent of Puerto Rican respondents, 15 percent of Anglo respondents, and 12 percent of Cuban respondents placed Ronald Reagan on the liberal side of the political spectrum.