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Skin Color and System Support in Latin America

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2020

Peter M. Sanchez ,
David Doherty Open the ORCID record for David Doherty [Opens in a new window]  and
Kirstie Lynn Dobbs
Peter M. Sanchez
Affiliation:
Loyola University Chicago
David Doherty*
Affiliation:
Loyola University Chicago
Kirstie Lynn Dobbs
Affiliation:
Merrimack College
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: David Doherty, Department of Political Science, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. E-mail: ddoherty@luc.edu
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Abstract

Is darker skin pigmentation associated with less favorable social and political outcomes in Latin America? We leverage data from 18 Latin American countries across multiple survey waves to demonstrate the robust and potent negative relationship between the darkness of skin tone and socio-economic status. Then we examine the relationship between skin color and attitudes toward the political system. In spite of our substantial sample size, we find little support for the expectation that respondents with darker skin are less favorably disposed toward the political system—indeed, on balance, our findings run counter to this expectation. Our findings suggest that the socio-economic “pigmentocracy” that pervades the region does not necessarily translate into pronounced differences in attitudes about the political system. This finding casts some doubt on the expectation that social inequalities are likely to destabilize governments or undermine their legitimacy.

Keywords

skin colorpigmentationpigmentocracyLatin Americasupport for democracyefficacyinequalitydiscrimination
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , July 2021 , pp. 352 - 372
Copyright
Copyright © The Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2020

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