Thirty-seven percent are ‘very worried’ that they or someone in their household will become unemployed
LOS ANGELES, CA –February 10, 2011 – impreMedia, the leading Hispanic news and information company, has partnered with Latino Decisions to release a series of six national polls among Latino registered voters. The ongoing tracking poll is set to reveal Latino’s perspectives on issues related to the economy, immigration, education and healthcare. It will also track their views about the performance of President Obama and Congress and their voting preferences leading up to the 2012 elections. (Click here for full poll results)
When asked what are the most important issues facing the Latino community that Congress and the President should address, respondents ranked immigration, 47% as top priority followed by the economy 34%. Education and health followed with 20% and 12% respectively.
The survey found that looking ahead 37% are ‘very worried’ that they or someone in their household will become unemployed. According to the Bureau Labor of Statistics, the current unemployment rate stands at 9%. The impact of the unemployment rate plays an important role among the confidence that Hispanics have on the improvement of the economy.
Another indication of Latinos concern with the economy is that many worry about paying their bills. When asked if over the last year, was there ever a month that they were worried that they might not have enough money to pay all their bills 51% replied that they were worried many times.
When asked how the President and Congress could best improve the economy, 57% of respondents expressed a strong view of investing in federal projects as a form of helping stimulate the economy, while 50% said that tax cuts should only be extended to middle and working class families vs. all families including high income earners. Furthermore, 38% of respondents said they somewhat agree that Congress takes into account the economic issues of the Latino community when considering economic reforms.
“This poll is a clear indicator that Latinos are concerned with the economy. It is impacting the way they live.” stated Monica Lozano, CEO of impreMedia. “Latinos are worried about their jobs and their ability to pay their bills. Latinos have a huge impact on the economy and policy makers need to address the concerns that they are voicing. ”
A breakdown of the findings are below:
- Generally speaking, what are the most important issues facing the Latino community that you think Congress and the President should address?
– Immigration reform: 47% (40% U.S. born/54% foreign born)
– Create more jobs/unemployment: 21% (18% U.S. born/24% foreign born)
– Education reform/schools: 20% (25% U.S. born/16% foreign born)
– Fix the economy (generic): 13% (12% U.S. born/15% foreign born)
– Health care: 12% (14% U.S. born/10% foreign born)
- On the issue of tax cuts, two different proposals were being debated in Congress back in December. Tell me which of the statements you agree with most:
– 50% – Tax cuts should be extended only for middle and working class families who earn less than $250k per year, but not for the wealthiest families (48% U.S. born/51% foreign born)
– 27% – Tax cuts should be extended for all families, regardless of their income level, including those who earn more than $250K per year (30% U.S. born/25% foreign born)
- Would you say it is better that the government lower taxes or should invest resources in federal projects to stimulate the economy?
– 57% – Invest in federal projects (61% U.S. born/53% foreign born)
– 30% – Lower people’s taxes (29% U.S. born/32% foreign born)
- Based on current debate in Washington, do you think public officials take into account economic issues of the Hispanic community when considering economic reforms?
– 11% – Very much (7% U.S. born/15% foreign born)
– 38% – Somewhat (43% U.S. born / 33% foreign born)
– 43% – Not too much (44% U.S. born/42% foreign born)
- Looking ahead how worried are that you or someone in your household might become unemployed?
– 37% – Very worried (31% U.S. born / 44% foreign born)
– 29% – Somewhat worried (33% U.S. born/26% foreign born)
– 25% – Not too worried (29% U.S. born/21% foreign born)
– 5% – Already unemployed (5% U.S. born/4% foreign born)
- Due to the economy, a lot of people have said they had a hard time paying all their bills each month. Over the last year, was there ever a month that you were worried you might not have enough money to pay all your bills?
– 51% – Yes, many times (52% U.S. born / 50% foreign born)
– 9% – Yes, just one time (10% U.S. born/9% foreign born)
– 38% – No
Each poll in the series of six reflects Latinos views on current issues related to the economy, education, immigration and healthcare. This first poll focused on economic issues. Results are posted here
About the Poll
Latino Decisions surveyed 500 registered voters between January 24th and February 5th in 21 states with the largest Hispanic populations, comprising 94% percent of the US Hispanic electorate. Voters were selected randomly from the registered voter lists and households were identified for contact using the Census Bureau Hispanic surname list, and merged with third party data to secure telephone numbers. Results were weighted to account for minor deviations from known population characteristics. The margin of error is +/- 4.38% on the full sample.
Voter registration status and Hispanic identification were verified upon contact with respondents, who confirmed if they are registered to vote and of Hispanic/Latino descent. Census Bureau reports suggest approximately 90% of all Latinos in the U.S. have a Spanish-surname. In identifying citizens registered to vote, the registered voter list is far superior to either a simple RDD or household list of Spanish-surname households because of non-citizenship, low rates of voter registration among Latinos, and well-documented propensity of all survey respondents, regardless of ethnicity, to over-report registration status.
Surveying was conducted by fully bilingual interviewers. Respondents were greeted in both languages, and surveys were conducted in either English or Spanish, at the discretion of the respondent. Up to five callbacks are scheduled for each record. The survey instrument was created by Dr. Matt Barreto and Dr. Gary Segura in consultation with impreMedia and translated into Spanish. The survey was administered under the direction of Pacific Market Research, in Renton, Washington, and performed using a Computer-Assisted-Telephone-Interviewing (CATI) protocols. CATI programming is performed by Pacific Market Research. Average interview length was 11.43 minutes.
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About impreMedia
impreMedia is the leading Hispanic news and information company in the U.S. in online and print. impreMedia’s multi-platform offerings range from online to video, social media, mobile, audio, newspapers and magazines, including the http://www.impre.com portal. 25.5% of U.S. Hispanic adults use an impreMedia network product. The network is also the nation’s largest Hispanic newspaper publisher with newspapers in top U.S. Hispanic markets, reaching 15 markets total that represent 59% of the U.S. Hispanic population. Its leading publications include La Opinión in Los Angeles and El Diario La Prensa in New York. For more information, visit: http://www.impremedia.com.
ImpreMedia portals and publication websites are: www.impre.com, www.laopinion.com, www.eldiariony.com, www.hoynyc.com, www.laraza.com, www.laprensafl.com, www.elmensajero.com, www.rumbotx.com, www.vistamagazine.com, and www.contigola.com, www.lavibra.com, www.impreautos.com.
About Latino Decisions
Latino Decisions is a joint effort between Pacific Market Research, a nationally known research firm, and Dr. Gary Segura and Dr. Matt Barreto, leading Latino politics scholars and professors at Stanford University and the University of Washington. Both Dr. Segura and Dr. Barreto are experienced and nationally respected researchers who have a deep understanding of U.S. Latino culture and advanced quantitative research skills. Their expertise, coupled with Pacific Market Research’s logistical capabilities, makes Latino Decisions a leader in the field. For more information, please visit www.latinodecisions.com or call 425-336-7000.
