Phoenix, AZ — A new poll released today by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) shows that Hispanic Americans are optimistic about their lives but believe their concerns are not being addressed by political candidates. The poll, conducted by Zogby International, surveyed 1,000 adults representing all Latino subgroups in all regions of the country. The poll was released at a news conference at the site of the 2004 NCLR Annual Conference.

In addition, NCLR announced several initiatives to help mobilize Hispanic voters in the 2004 election including a Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign featuring Latino Members of Congress and prominent celebrities, and nonpartisan voter registration/voter mobilization activities by NCLR affiliates around the nation.

“The poll confirms what we know – that Latinos are optimistic, self-reliant, and bullish about America and the future. But the poll also reveals that Hispanics are not confident that policy-makers are interested in what matters most to the community, especially its core issues,” noted Raul Yzaguirre, NCLR President.

Yzaguirre continued, “There is clearly a lot of opportunity for both parties to increase their support among Latinos. But they need to make a long-term commitment to truly engage the Hispanic community and address our concerns in a serious way. Showing up every four years may work for the Olympics, but not for governing.”

Below is a summary of the poll’s findings:

Latinos are optimists, are committed to hard work, believe in the importance of learning English and getting a college education, and support the idea of Hispanics of different backgrounds working together to build political power.

• 90% strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement “If you work hard, you will succeed in America.”
• 97% strongly (86.4%) or somewhat (10.9%) agreed that “The ability to speak English is important to succeed in this country.”
• 98% strongly (89%) or somewhat (9%) agreed that “It is important that Latino children get a college education.”
• 88% agreed that “It is important for the Hispanic community to work together to build political power.”

“Contrary to the assertions of some professors and pundits, Hispanics are good for this country. We understand the importance of hard work, learning English, and getting an education, and we want to work together to help everyone share in the American Dream,” Yzaguirre commented.

Latinos don’t fit traditional stereotypes.

• While the majority (64%) “watch mostly” English-language TV, about one-third (33%) “watch both” English-language and Spanish-language TV.
• More than three quarters (78.%) “get most of their information on current events” from TV (55%) or newspapers (23%), as opposed to the Internet (8%), magazines (1.0%), or family/friends (2%).
• A majority (59.%) express no preference for either of the terms “Latino” or “Hispanic”; of those who express a preference, 12% prefer Latino, 26% prefer Hispanic.
• 70% believe that the large federal budget deficit will make it “more difficult” for the economy to improve.
• By more than a 3-1 margin, Hispanics prefer dealing with the “causes of crime, with an emphasis on job training, counseling, and neighborhood activity centers for young people” (74.%) than “a tougher approach to crime with an emphasis on stricter sentencing, capital punishment for more crimes, and fewer paroles for convicted felons” (22%).

When it comes to assessing political candidates, Hispanics vote based on substance, don’t want to be patronized, and recognize that many of their concerns are being ignored.

• 74% believe that “A candidate’s relationship with the Hispanic community and record on Hispanic issues” is the “most important issue” (12%) or “one of many important factors” (62%) in voting decisions.
• Only about one-third of Hispanics feel that a candidate’s ability to speak Spanish is “most important” or “one of many important factors” in voting decisions.
• 58% disagree “that political candidates are talking about the issues most important to the Hispanic community.”

Yzaguirre noted that, “All politicians should be on notice that speaking a few words in Spanish won’t work anymore. Like other Americans, Latinos will vote on the issues, and far too few candidates are effectively addressing those issues today.”

Latinos want realistic, inclusive, and humane public policy.

When asked to rank the issues of greatest importance to the Latino community:

• More than one-third (34%) selected education/schools.
• More than one-fifth (22%) identified the economy/jobs.
• 8% selected immigration, 6% identified civil rights, and 5% selected health care.
• No other issues, including national security (1%) or the war on terrorism (2%) exceeded the poll’s margin of error (3.3%)

Hispanics recognize that discrimination is still a problem:

• A strong majority [80%] believes that discrimination is a problem overall: [34% major, 46% minor, 18% not a problem].

Latinos support generous and humane immigration policies by massive margins:

• More than 84% agree that “the government should support and expand the number of programs to help immigrants learn English.”
• 82% support “legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants who have lived, worked, and paid taxes in the U.S. to get on a path to U.S. citizenship.”
• 81% agree that since legal immigrants “must pay the same taxes as everyone else they should have the same rights and access to public benefits and services as U.S. citizens.”
• 87% strongly (62%) or somewhat (25%) support a bill that “would allow undocumented immigrant students who were brought to the U.S. as children, and have lived here more than five years, to apply for permanent legal status so that they can attend college.”
• 67% oppose proposals to give “local police the authority to enforce the nation’s immigration laws.”

By overwhelming margins, Hispanics want an activist government that invests more in critical areas that would benefit all Americans:

• 62% agree that they “would rather pay higher taxes to support a government that provides more services” than “pay lower taxes to support a government that provides fewer services” (28%)
• 74% believe “the government is spending too little on education.”
• 77% agree that we “should spend more to ensure all children have access to preschool education and services, even if it means raising taxes.”
• 78% agree that we “should spend more to provide health insurance for everyone that needs it, even if it means raising taxes.”
• An overwhelming majority (84%) supports “measures to ensure that an equal amount of money is spent on each student, regardless of whether he or she lives in a rich or poor school district.”

“Our agenda is an American Agenda – we want good schools, good jobs, and access to health care. We are realistic enough to understand that discrimination remains a serious problem, and that our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed. However, because we are inclusive we know that justice doesn’t mean “just us”; we support solutions that would help all Americans,” Yzaguirre said.

“These data show that, despite its diversity, the Latino community has a shared public policy agenda. With almost no exceptions, Latinos’ views on the issues apply across all subgroups, in all regions of the country, and to both native- and foreign-born,” Yzaguirre continued.

NCLR and its affiliates are announcing a series of initiatives to ensure greater participation of Latinos in the 2004 election including:

A nationwide PSA TV campaign featuring noted Hispanic celebrities and a second campaign featuring the bipartisan, “brother-sister” pairings of Republican Congressmen Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart, and Democratic Representatives Loretta and Linda Sanchez, urging Latinos to register and vote, disseminated through both electronic and printed media.

The Latino Empowerment and Advocacy Project (LEAP), designed to support NCLR affiliates and other community-based organizations in registering and turning out Hispanic voters in 2004 and beyond. Specifically, LEAP will:

• Train a multistate network of community-based organizations (CBOs) to organize field campaigns and promote sustained civic education and participation.
• Test and document campaign strategies to identify the most effective models that can be used to reduce participation barriers and increase interest in the electoral process.
• Conduct research, policy analyses, and advocacy to promote policies, programs, and investments that support the growth of the Latino electorate.
• Challenge all campaigns to address the substantive issues of importance to Latinos, and not rely solely on marketing and outreach.

In the short term, the project's leading goal is to help produce measurable increases in Latino electoral participation. Over the long term, the goal is to build local capacity to strengthen the nonpartisan foundation for participation and mobilization so that those increases are sustained.

“Through these initiatives, we intend to hold both our own community and the candidates who seek our votes fully accountable. We will preach a nonpartisan, get-out-the-vote message through the airwaves, in the newspapers, and on the ground in our neighborhoods. At the same time, we will insist that politicians who seek our support make commitments to deliver on the issues,” Yzaguirre concluded.

>>Click to download a copy of the poll