Hispanics Consider Global Warming a Serious Problem

FAU poll finds four out of five Hispanics believe that global warming is a serious problem and a majority of them said it’s an important issue that will guide who they’ll vote for in 2016 presidential election.

By james hellegaard | 7/7/2016

Four out of five Hispanics believe that global warming is a serious problem and a majority of them said it’s an important issue that will guide who they’ll vote for in the 2016 presidential election, according to the latest national survey conducted by the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative (FAU BEPI) in FAU’s College of Business.

Nearly 80 percent of Hispanics consider global warming to be a somewhat serious or very serious problem, up nearly 7 percent from a year ago. Voters from both parties appear to be concerned about global warming, with 85 percent of Democrats and 76 percent of Republicans saying it’s a problem, along with 69 percent of Independent voters.

A majority of Hispanics (54 percent) consider global warming an important issue in who they will consider for president in the 2016 election. Nearly four out of 10 respondents (39 percent) said global warming should be a high to very high priority for the president and Congress, while 29 percent said it should be a low priority and 32 percent a medium priority. Democrats placed a higher emphasis on the issue, with 46 percent saying global warming should be a high to very high priority, compared with 27 percent of Republicans.

Overall, Hispanics are not optimistic about the future of the environment. Only 35 percent of Hispanics believe the condition of the environment will be better for the next generation, while 43 percent said it will be worse and 23 percent said it will be about the same. A majority of Democrats (53 percent) said the environment would be worse for the next generation, compared to only 21 percent of Republicans.

“Hispanics’ political leanings are a strong factor in their views about global warming, the upcoming elections and the involvement of government in environmental regulation,” said Monica Escaleras, Ph.D., director of the BEPI.

The June Consumer Sentiment Index among Hispanics rose to its highest level of 2016 at 105.81, up more than 12 points from the previous month. The Index of Current Economic Conditions jumped more than 14 points from May to an all-time high of 103.49. The Index of Consumer Expectations increased 11 points in the last month to 101.1, outpacing the overall national average for the United States as measured by the University of Michigan by 18.7 points.

“Hispanics are actually more optimistic about the U.S. economy, relative to the entire nation,” Escaleras said.

The survey was conducted nationally from June 1 through June 30. The polling sample consisted of 500 Hispanics with a margin of error of +/- 4.33 percent and a 95 percent confidence level. For more information, contact Monica Escaleras at 561-297-1312 or BEPI@fau.edu, or visit www.business.fau.edu/bepi.

-FAU-

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