Thread: Poll: Immigration Issue Fades as Priority Among Latinos

Poll: Immigration Issue Fades as Priority Among Latinos

By N.C. Aizenman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 15, 2009; 2:34 PM

The immigration issue has receded in importance to Latinos amid their mounting alarm over the economy, according to a nationwide poll released today by the non-partisan Pew Hispanic Center.

Only 31 percent of Latinos surveyed cited immigration as an "extremely important" priority for the incoming Obama administration, ranking the issue behind not only the economy but also education, health care, national security and the environment.

By contrast, 38 percent of Hispanics judged immigration extremely important in a similar poll taken in December 2007, several months after an unsuccessful proposal to overhaul the nation's immigration system and offer illegal immigrants a path to citizenship sparked rancorous debate in Congress.

Even then immigration was ranked only fifth on a list of six possible priorities for Latinos, who make up 15 percent of the population and include both new arrivals and people whose roots in the United States stretch back generations. What has changed most is Latinos' focus on the economy: Fifty-seven percent now cite it as "extremely important" compared to 43 percent in the December 2007 poll.

Similarly, according to the current poll, 31 percent of Latino respondents who voted in the presidential election said the economy was the issue that mattered most to their decision. Only 6 percent cited immigration, about half the share that cited "candidates' attributes" or "a general desire for change."

The poll's findings echo trends in the general population. For instance while 56 percent of registered voters identified immigration as a very important issue in an October 2007 survey by the Pew Research Center, the share dropped to 49 percent by late 2008.

Still, Mark Hugo Lopez, co-author of the survey released today, cautioned that the current results may reflect Latinos' increasing concern with the economy more than mounting apathy over immigration. He noted that 75 percent of Hispanics reported that immigration should be at least a "very important" priority for President-elect Barack Obama, and 88 percent cited it as at least "important."

Lopez also said the current poll did not necessarily disprove the impression of many analysts that the Republican Party's opposition to the legalization plan contributed to Obama's two-to-one victory over Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) among Hispanics. Although previous polling indicated that registered Latino voters had more confidence in Democrats' ability to manage the economy, a September poll by the Pew Hispanic Center also found that 55 percent of Latino registered voters believed Democrats had more concern for Hispanics, compared to 6 percent who cited Republicans.

"We don't have any evidence to be able to tease out the independent effect of immigration [on the election's outcome]," said Lopez. "There are several possible scenarios there and I don't think our survey allows us to tease them out."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 02310.html

I think the only ones who consider it vastly important are the ones here illegally and greedy business owners.

Originally Posted by crazybird

I think the only ones who consider it vastly important are the ones here illegally and greedy business owners.

I think you're right CB. Just in speaking to different tenants, etc. there has been a most definite switch in attitude among both the illegal alien and legal immigrant in terms of, even, their own family members coming, and/or staying, here.

Jobs are scarce, money is tight and these people are becoming very protective of what jobs might be available, community resources they need to get by and all the rest.

There just isn't the undying loyalty to family and friends that the pro-illegals keep telling us there is.

It never ceases to amaze me that the minority of the minority has more pull and funding than the majority of America when it comes to our stupid government over Illegal Immigration!!!

These findings are similar to other recent findings from Zogby polling:

"A nationwide survey of actual voters reveals that Americans strongly support immigration enforcement, and that less than one-third of Obama voters favor granting amnesty to illegal aliens...The findings of the poll commissioned by FAIR of all voters are similar to an unrelated poll conducted of Latino voters by Zogby and Univision on the eve of the election. That poll found that 54% of Latino voters placed concern about the economy as their top voting priority, while only 11% said that immigration was their number one concern."

In South Florida the out cry against illegals is unreal. There is an article about tax cuts for the state in the Sun Sentinel and the majority of comments say get rid of illegals. People are comparing Florida to California. It is the greedy owners who want them.

In other words American Hispanics have about the same concerns as all other Americans. Big surprise.

The "Hispanic vote" supporting amnesty is just as mythical as Aztlan.

I agree with crazybird.