ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors aims to take the increased racial and ethnic diversity of the United States as a starting point, and analyze the significance of race, ethnicity, and the group bases of political preferences. Political-science research on race and ethnicity is in the midst of an important shift. The authors focus on individual-level measurements of psychological attachment to groups—group identity and consciousness—as critical intervening variables between racial group classification and the formation of political preferences. To better understand the group bases of public opinion, researchers have attempted to define, measure, and examine the three key concepts of racial group membership, racial group identity, and racial group consciousness. The authors discuss additional factors that may differentially influence the political opinions of individuals, depending in part on their racial group classifications and attachments, including party identification and mobilization, interpersonal contact and the racial, economic, and political context, and perceptions of, and experiences with, discrimination.
