Presentation Title
Public attitudes towards undocumented migrant farmworkers: The case of Vermont’s dairy labor
Abstract
Undocumented migrant farmworkers are critical to the success of the Vermont dairy industry, however this group is particularly vulnerable and there is a lack of literature examining public attitudes of Vermont residents towards this population. Using group threat theory as a framework, which theorizes that attitude formation is a response to a real or perceived threat, this study examines how different subgroups of Vermont residents view undocumented migrant farmworkers and policies that are targeted toward this population. This study uses survey data from the 2020 Vermonter Poll, a randomized, statewide telephone poll, to conduct both bivariate analysis and multivariate regression. Results suggest that certain demographic characteristics such as educational attainment and political affiliation are potential predictors of attitudes towards undocumented farmworkers and the policies that impact them.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Daniel Baker
Status
Graduate
Student College
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Program/Major
Community Development and Applied Economics
Primary Research Category
Social Sciences
Public attitudes towards undocumented migrant farmworkers: The case of Vermont’s dairy labor
Undocumented migrant farmworkers are critical to the success of the Vermont dairy industry, however this group is particularly vulnerable and there is a lack of literature examining public attitudes of Vermont residents towards this population. Using group threat theory as a framework, which theorizes that attitude formation is a response to a real or perceived threat, this study examines how different subgroups of Vermont residents view undocumented migrant farmworkers and policies that are targeted toward this population. This study uses survey data from the 2020 Vermonter Poll, a randomized, statewide telephone poll, to conduct both bivariate analysis and multivariate regression. Results suggest that certain demographic characteristics such as educational attainment and political affiliation are potential predictors of attitudes towards undocumented farmworkers and the policies that impact them.