English-only policies: Perceived Support and Social Limitation

The growth in language minorities in the USA is matched by an increase in language policies encapsulated by the English-only movement and support for policies controlling immigration and health/welfare services to immigrants. A re-analysis of data obtained from a telephone survey in Santa Barbara, California (n = 389) investigated if support for English-only policies among Anglo-Americans is related to perceptions about a decreasing gap between Anglo-American group vitality and that of Latino group vitality (i.e., relative vitality). The influence of Spanish mass media and level of language group identity is also assessed. A structural equation model summarizing the relationships between these factors is proposed. The final SEM indicates that English-only policies are one form of social limitation. Support for English-only policies is positively related to level of language group identity and negatively related to Spanish mass media. Support for social limitation among Anglo-Americans is negatively related to relative vitality. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.