Is it possible to make generalizations based on someone's heritage?

[The Backlash Cometh]

If we can make generalizations that most hispanics would vote Democratically, or that most blacks would vote democratically, and most Southern Baptists would vote Republican, can you make the same kind of generalizations on the following groups:

English
Scot
Welsh
N. Irish
S. Irish

And what would they be?

[cuke]

1. Yes, and no

You can make some generalizing about some groups as long as you remember that the facts count

There are reason why blacks, Hispanics, and SB's vote the way they do. I don't see any reason for the Welsh to be particurly partisan

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. I don't think the Welsh are partisan either.

But I suspect the Irish and Scot-Americans are.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

3. Stereotyping is an essential component of thought... the formation of categories

The trick is to recognize that stereotypes are not preferable to empirical observation, and constantly adjust them accordingly.

Without stereotypical thought we couldn't tell a snake from a brick.

All a matter of degree... like most things.

For what it's worth, S. Irish are Democratic voters in the main. English are probably Republicans, though most would be so removed in time their names are the only English traits left.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. The English, I was going to guess, were not going to be easy to peg.

They have just as strong a labor party as they do a Tory party.

I suspect, however, that the Scots in the U.S. have very strong, but secretive groups. Isn't that where the KKK started its roots? Isn't that the basis of the Free Masons?

[Donald Ian Rankin]

18. England at present is far more left-wing than America.

So I'd guess that Americans with recent English ancestry are more likely to vote Democratic than Republican.

How later-generation English immigrants to America vote, I don't know.

[lurky]

4. A huge proportion of working-class Southern whites

are of "Scotch-Irish" extraction -- Essentially Scottish protestants who were resettled in Northern Ireland, then left for America when Ireland proved to be an unfriendly place. The ones who stayed in Ireland are the Ulster Protestants.

Anyway, we all know that the working-class Southern white demographic votes heavily for the Repubs.

To be clear, however, this is only a statistical observation based on large groups of people. You couldn't say "person X is from group Y and is therefore a Dem/Repub".
For example, I am of Scot/N.Irish/English descent, and I would never dream of voting for Bush and his ilk.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. That explains a lot.

I'm finding a very strong Scot presence with the property rights group in my area.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. Well, some 90% of African Americans vote democratic.

I don't think that's so much a generalization, just demographics based on polls.

So, not having ever heard of english v. scot v. welsh etc. cohorts, I'd have no idea what the demographics are. Except for the welsh, they're a bunch of slags, yeah?

[ikojo]

6. Jews, although well off as a group, also vote

primarily Democratic. Just look at Anne Coulter and the religious right as to why Jews vote this way.

Back in the 60s there was a saying that Jews lived like Episcopalians but voted like Puerto Ricans.

[rockymountaindem]

7. I know of a few people in my Jewish community who stuck with the Repubs until the 90s

That's when they finally realized that the Republicans had either morphed into the party of big religion or were actually that way all along.

I'll say this other thing, too. It's hard to make generalizations about the Jewish community because it really is very fractious. However, I feel safe in saying this much: most Jews are solid liberals, but the ones on the right wing are *really* far on the right wing.

[mondo joe]

13. True - as a group, Jews in the US vote overwhelmingly Democratic, though not to the same

degree African American do. And even the NeoCons are sort of infused with some liberalism (though liberalism gone terribly wrong).

[WinkyDink]

16. I'm sure you mean "DemocratIC".

[mondo joe]

17. I did - corrected thans.

[Kingshakabobo]

19. I saw a stat the other day: Jewish vote was at an all time high for thugs in 2004 - 25%.

I believe thaw was doubled since the early '90s. It was on the boob tube so I don't have a link. It made me sad.

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. Oh, don't you start that here.

Gits, I hear.

Seriously, why don't we have better information about the demographics of "White Males" in power in America? I mean, if it's true that the U.S. is controlled by your Average White man, why have we just been happy to lump them all together, and not really looked at whether there are pockets of power across this country that may have strong heritage connections?

[mondo joe]

14. I suspect the distinctions are divisble more by socioeconomic than by ethnic distinctions

within a greater group.

For example, I think you can show more of a distinction between white me by education level than by whether they are Welsh or Scots. (Not to mention the fact that most whites in the US are some mix of European ancestry.)

[Clintonista2]

11. As long as generalizations are accurate, they are acceptable

Statistically, hispanics, blacks, vote democratic, while southern baptists vote republican. I think trying to generalize something as large as "english" (those who are from England), would be impossible to do without being inaccurate. That would be kind of like saying "Most Americans vote..."

If statistics showed that for instance 80% residents of England voted for one political party consistently, then you probably could make that generalization, but I doubt that is the case.

[mondo joe]

12. I think you have it wrong. What you can do is say that hisorically certain

groups have done certain things. You can also describe trends. You can also say that if past performance holds true you could expect certain outcomes.

[WinkyDink]

15. Electoral "generalizations" are based on voting patterns. Nothing nefarious here.