Skin Color,Acculturation,and Community Interest among Mexican American Students: A Research Note

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that skin color affects the economic and social status of African Americans. More recent studies have shown that this relationship extends to Hispanic Americans as well. This study investigated the effects of skin color on acculturation levels and of both skin color and acculturation on Mexican American students' interest in the Mexican American community. A one-way ANOVA demonstrated that students with the darkest skin had significantly lower levels of acculturation than those with lighter skin. A two-way ANOVA was conducted with two between-group factors-skin color and acculturation-with the dependent variable consisting of interest in the Latino community. An interaction was detected, which indicates that skin color does not impact interest in community in the same way across all levels of acculturation.

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