One Group, Two Worlds? Latino Perceptions of Policy Salience Among Mainstream and Spanish-Language News Consumers

Objective To examine whether the consumption of Spanish-language news influences perceptions of issue salience among Latinos, the largest ethnoracial group in the United States. Methods This mixed-methods analysis incorporates conceptual content analyses of English and Spanish-language online newspapers from major Latino metropolitan areas, logistic regressions, and robustness checks to predict the salience of Latino issues. Results Spanish-language news media covers immigration to a much greater extent than mainstream media, even within the same geographical locations; as a result, Latinos who consume Spanish-language news are more likely to report immigration as a salient issue, even after accounting for important predispositions such as nativity and in-group linked fate. Conclusion This study highlights the importance of Spanish-language and ethnic media in a growingly diverse country, where ethnoracial groups will soon make up the majority of the country.