Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree Granting Department

Mass Communications

Major Professor

Kelly Page Werder, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Kelli Burns, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Roxanne Watson, Ph.D.

Keywords

Caucasian, Florida, Hispanic, Latinx, Pinellas County, Voter

Abstract

In recent years, the relationship between registered voters of minority groups and the government of the states they reside in has become increasingly complex due to controversial legislation proposed and often passed in these states. Specifically, some states have passed laws that make it more difficult for Hispanic/Latinx residents to live and work. In particular, Florida has enacted legislation that makes it more difficult for members of the minority groups to vote, drive, and gain access to healthcare. Much of this legislation impacts the Hispanic/Latinx community, which can influence perceptions of the relationship this racial minority has with Florida’s state government. Using the theoretical foundation provided by Organization-Public Relationship Management (OPR), this thesis aims to better understand the relationship that Hispanic/Latinx registered voters have with Florida’s state government. Specifically, an exploratory probability survey of registered voters in Pinellas County (N=XXX) was conducted to measure perceptions of trust, satisfaction, commitment, and control mutuality with Florida’s state government in order to compare relational outcomes between Hispanic/Latinx and Caucasian racial groups. Results indicate that perceptions of trust, satisfaction, commitment, and control mutuality with Florida’s state government are significantly lower among Hispanic/Latinx registered voters than Caucasian registered voters in Pinellas County. Although the results of this exploratory study are not generalizable to the larger population of registered voters in Pinellas County, findings suggest that there are differences in relational quality experienced by minority residents and Caucasian residents with Florida’s state government. This research contributes to better understanding of the minority experience in Florida and identifies communication strategies that aim to increase perceptions of relational quality between the Hispanic/Latinx voter community and Florida’s state government. In addition, future qualitative research is suggested to uncover the underlying reasons for these differences and quantitative research to achieve more participation from the Hispanic/Latinx community and data that is generalizable to the larger population of residents of the Florida.

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