Hispanics concerned about climate change and see it as key in upcoming elections, according to survey

Climate change is a serious issue for Latinos in the United States and one of the most important issues to consider ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, according to a poll that examined the importance of climate issues in the Latino community in key states.

According to the poll conducted by BSP Rearch and sponsored by Climate Power, 74% of Latinos think climate change is a crisis or a very serious problem and 66% of them said they are paying a lot or some attention to news about extreme temperatures, wildfires, droughts and hurricanes.

Nearly 90% of Latinos say climate change should be a priority for President Joe Biden and the current Congress, and 65% of Latino voters say legislation should be passed to help as many people as possible on the economy, climate change, and health care even if Republicans do not support the legislation.

In all, 1,700 Latino voters were surveyed in four key states where the community will have a strong impact on state elections: Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Nevada. The survey also covers key congressional districts in California and Texas.

For example, it found that 90% of Latinos in Nevada support tax incentives for wind and solar energy.

Addressing climate change is not just a local issue for Latinos. With family in Mexico, Central and South America, more than 90% of respondents say climate change is creating extreme weather and natural disasters for their families and friends in their home countries.

Latinos also think oil and gas companies should pay for the pollution they generate, and 86% strongly support legislation that makes these industries pay their fair share.

Climate change is also a health issue for Latinos in these states, with Latino children suffering higher rates of asthma and other health problems related to environmental factors.

For this reason, protecting the health of Latino families by reducing air and water pollution is very or somewhat important to 88% of Latinos in Arizona and 91% in Colorado; 86% in Florida and 92% in Nevada.

The survey also indicates that. for Latinos, Democrats provide solutions for Latino voters. Only 19% in Arizona think Republicans are taking care of working and middle class families, and only 16% in Nevada say so.

Other issues of conern to Latino voters

With the 2022 midterm elections a year away, Latinos also pointed to other issues among their priorities such as solutions for jobs and the economy (32%), the rising cost of living (22%) and addressing the coronavirus pandemic (32%).

In short, a cleaner and fairer economy and climate change are important issues for the Hispanic community, which increasingly impacts their neighborhoods, children's health and communities.

The survey was sent out on October 9 and concluded on October 18. A mixed methods approach was used with approximately 25% of its respondents interviewed by telephone and 75% of respondents participating online.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)