Poll: Hispanics care more about economy, jobs than social issues; dislike ‘latinx’

By Cole Lauterbach | The Center Square

A year away from another election cycle, a nationwide poll of Hispanic Americans shows their opinions, interests, and preferences don’t align perfectly with either of the country’s two major political parties. 

A joint effort between Arizona-based OH Predictive Insights, Chris Mottola Consulting, and MAS Consulting polled 2,000 members of the Hispanic community from March 18 to March 25. 

When asked what topics matter most to them, 29% said COVID-19 is the most pressing issue facing the nation. After the pandemic, 19% think the most important issue is jobs and the economy, followed by health care. Only 6% said immigration, race relations, and education are the most pressing issue.

The majority opposes the continued construction of a wall at the nation’s southern border.

Democrats hold advantages in terms of perception, according to respondents of the survey. More than one-third said the Democratic agenda is better for the economy, a topic where Republicans typically win over voters, who were 4 percentage points behind their counterparts.

Democrats held outsized advantages over the GOP on how they address the environment, health care, and when asked to name “this party cares about me.” 

The majority of respondents came from four states: California, Texas, Florida, and New York. Each state’s respective respondents were split along ideological bents similar to others in their state.

Thirty-four percent of Californians identified as “liberal,” where 20% considered themselves “conservative.” Hispanic Floridians were evenly split at 23%, identifying with each ideology.

One bright side for Republicans, according to Mike Noble, OH Predictive Insights chief of research, was that many Hispanics think neither party really cares about them, agreeing with the sentiment that they’re “disaffected” from either side. 

“The data reveals an entire swath of the electorate that isn’t being spoken to and the solution is straightforward: capture favorability by messaging on the pressing issues within the Hispanic community,” he said.

This large swath of voters considers themselves independent and moderate politically.

“It is a red flag for both parties and an opportunity for whoever cares to pay more attention to the largest minority group in the country, responsible for 52% of our population growth,” Cesar Martínez of MAS Consulting said.

One nearly unanimous opinion was the lack of interest in being labeled “Latinx,” a term used by some to be more inclusive of nonbinary gender norms that Latina and Latino infer. Only 1% of the 2,000 that responded preferred to be called the term.