Encuesta, Inc. Releases Report on Hispanic Political Opinion; Democratic Advantage Greater Among Hispanic Likely Voters

    /24-7PressRelease/ - MIAMI, FL, December 24, 2006 - Hispanics and non-Hispanics have similar perceptions of the state of the nation and the most serious issues it faces, but Hispanics more than non-Hispanics tend to think Democrats are more adept at handling those challenges and taking the country in the right direction, according to a study released today by Miami-based Encuesta Inc., an independent market research and opinion polling firm.

The 2006 Political Study: Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Political Opinion at the 2006 Midterm Election compares Hispanics' and non-Hispanics' views on a range of topics, including:

• the state and direction of the country and its economy and security
• the Bush Administration and the War in Iraq
• Presidential and Congressional job approval ratings
• which party does a better job with regard to specific issues
• the issues and other factors that influence their vote

Views on the job President Bush is doing are similar between Hispanics and non-Hispanics - one-third approve and over half disapprove - as are their takes on Congressional Republicans. About one-quarter of each population group approves of the job the Republican Party is doing in Congress (23% of Hispanics and 26% of non-Hispanics). More Hispanics, however, view Democrats in Congress favorably. Over half (53%) of Hispanics approve of the job Congressional Democrats are doing, versus 38% of non-Hispanics. Hispanics are also more likely than non-Hispanics to say the country would be better off if Democrats controlled Congress (47% H, 36% NH) and less likely to say the same of Republicans (12% H, 23% NH).

On a number of points regarding the War in Iraq, Hispanics' and non-Hispanics' opinions are quite similar, except that Hispanics are more likely to believe the decision to use military force against Iraq was a mistake. Some 57% of Hispanics strongly or somewhat disagreed that the use of force was the right decision, compared to 47% of Non-Hispanics. Only one-third (33%) of Hispanics said they strongly or somewhat agreed with the use of military force against Iraq versus almost half (47%) of non-Hispanics. Like numbers of each population group, however, agreed and disagreed that the Bush Administration deliberately misled the public about the extent to which Iraq was a threat to the U.S. in order to justify the war (49% H and 54% NH strongly or somewhat agreed; 33% H and 36% NH strongly or somewhat disagreed). A majority of both Hispanics and non-Hispanics (55% and 64% respectively) strongly or somewhat agree that the Bush Administration uses terrorism and security to its political benefit (26% and 25% respectively strongly or somewhat disagree).

The study is based on a telephone poll conducted by Encuesta, Inc. between October 11-30, 2006, among a representative national sample of 300 non-Hispanic and 300 Hispanic adults, in their choice of English or Spanish. The sample reflects the U.S. population with regard to gender, age, U.S. citizenship, and voter registration status. The margin of error is +/- 4%, with a higher margin of error for sub-groups.

The release is part of the Americanos Poll series sponsored by Encuesta, Inc. to compare the U.S. Hispanic and general populations across a range of topics. Results from these studies are made public to stimulate thought and dialogue about the U.S. Hispanic population and foster understanding of U.S. Hispanics. The full report and data tables with survey results are available at www.americanospoll.com.

For information contact: Lourdes Prado, (305) 661-1492 x126, [email protected]

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