In a year when support for Democratic candidates has eroded, the party’s standing among one key voting group-Latinos-appears as strong as ever. Two-thirds (65%) of Latino registered voters say they plan to support the Democratic candidate in their local congressional district, while just 22% support the Republican candidate, according to a nationwide survey of Latinos.
However, Hispanic registered voters appear to be less motivated than other voters to go to the polls. Just one-third (32%) of all Latino registered voters say they have given this year’s election “quite a lot” of thought. In contrast, half (50%) of all registered voters say the same. And when it comes to their intent to vote, half (51%) of Latino registered voters say they are absolutely certain they will vote in this year’s midterm election, while seven-in-ten (70%) of all registered voters say the same.
The survey finds that among Latino registered voters, Republicans may be more likely to turn out and vote than Democrats. Some 44% of Latino Republicans say they have given the election quite a lot of thought compared with 28% of Latino Democrats. This partisan gap is consistent with survey findings of the full population of registered voters.
These and many other findings emerge from a new nationwide survey of 1,375 Latinos ages 18 and older, including 618 registered voters, conducted August 17 through September 19, 2010 by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center.
The report, “Latinos and the 2010 Elections: Strong Support for Democrats; Weak Voter Motivation,” authored by Mark Hugo Lopez, Associate Director, Pew Hispanic Center, is available at the HS News Library.
