Friday
Feb112005
Pew Center Poll: Latinos More Likely to OPPOSE the War
Friday, February 11, 2005 at 01:23AM
Survey of Latino Attitudes on the War in Iraq
Attitudes towards the war in Iraq are more negative among Latinos than in the general population with most saying that U.S. troops should be withdrawn as soon as possible, according to a Pew Hispanic Center survey conducted as President George W. Bush began his second term in office. Foreign-born Latinos consistently show less approving attitudes towards the war and the president’s handling of the conflict than Latinos born in the United States. This survey was conducted by telephone from January 11 to 27, 2005 among a nationally representative sample of 1,003 adults who identified themselves as being of Latino or Hispanic origin or descent. All fieldwork was performed by International Communications Research of Media, PA using Random Digit Dialing (RDD) methodology. The results for the full sample have a margin of error of 3.1 percent.
The Center conducts nonpartisan research on a variety of topics including demographic trends, education and the labor force, and it explores Latino attitudes through public opinion surveys. Based in Washington, DC, the Center is a project of the Pew Research Center and is supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts
A slight majority of Hispanics (51%) think U.S. troops should be withdrawn from Iraq as soon as possible. Significantly fewer (37%) say that the United States should keep military troops in Iraq until the situation has stabilized. On the question of how long to keep troops in Iraq, the U.S.born are about evenly split while the foreign born favor prompt withdrawal by a margin of almost two-to-one. (Table 1) This survey was completed before the elections in Iraq on January 30.
Table 1
Do you think the U.S. should keep military troops in Iraq until the situation has stabilized, or do you think the U.S. should withdraw its troops as soon as possible?
January 2005
Total Latino US Born Foreign Born
Keep the military troops in Iraq 37 47 29
Withdraw troops 51 46 55
DK/NA 12 6 15
Latino Issues Forum dep. dir. Raquel Donoso said she was not surprised by the findings: "When you look at the troops in our armed services, they tend to be people of color and lower-income people. ... Most of us [Latinos] know someone who has been stationed in Iraq, so there is that feeling of, 'Why are we there?' and wanting to bring them home." New America Foundation fellow Gregory Rodriguez "pointed out that, among U.S.-born Latinos, the Pew Hispanic data showed a very even split between those who favor withdrawing the troops and those who want to keep them in Iraq." He also noted that, compared with other Dems, Latinos were less likely to oppose the war. "Sometimes, we take polls of Latinos and think whatever our findings are, it's because they're Latinos," he said. "But it may be because Latinos are overwhelmingly Democrats" (Hendricks,
(San Francisco Chronicle, 2/8). The Hotline February 8, 2005 Copyright 2005 The National Journal Group, Inc.
Attitudes towards the war in Iraq are more negative among Latinos than in the general population with most saying that U.S. troops should be withdrawn as soon as possible, according to a Pew Hispanic Center survey conducted as President George W. Bush began his second term in office. Foreign-born Latinos consistently show less approving attitudes towards the war and the president’s handling of the conflict than Latinos born in the United States. This survey was conducted by telephone from January 11 to 27, 2005 among a nationally representative sample of 1,003 adults who identified themselves as being of Latino or Hispanic origin or descent. All fieldwork was performed by International Communications Research of Media, PA using Random Digit Dialing (RDD) methodology. The results for the full sample have a margin of error of 3.1 percent.
The Center conducts nonpartisan research on a variety of topics including demographic trends, education and the labor force, and it explores Latino attitudes through public opinion surveys. Based in Washington, DC, the Center is a project of the Pew Research Center and is supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts
A slight majority of Hispanics (51%) think U.S. troops should be withdrawn from Iraq as soon as possible. Significantly fewer (37%) say that the United States should keep military troops in Iraq until the situation has stabilized. On the question of how long to keep troops in Iraq, the U.S.born are about evenly split while the foreign born favor prompt withdrawal by a margin of almost two-to-one. (Table 1) This survey was completed before the elections in Iraq on January 30.
Table 1
Do you think the U.S. should keep military troops in Iraq until the situation has stabilized, or do you think the U.S. should withdraw its troops as soon as possible?
January 2005
Total Latino US Born Foreign Born
Keep the military troops in Iraq 37 47 29
Withdraw troops 51 46 55
DK/NA 12 6 15
Latino Issues Forum dep. dir. Raquel Donoso said she was not surprised by the findings: "When you look at the troops in our armed services, they tend to be people of color and lower-income people. ... Most of us [Latinos] know someone who has been stationed in Iraq, so there is that feeling of, 'Why are we there?' and wanting to bring them home." New America Foundation fellow Gregory Rodriguez "pointed out that, among U.S.-born Latinos, the Pew Hispanic data showed a very even split between those who favor withdrawing the troops and those who want to keep them in Iraq." He also noted that, compared with other Dems, Latinos were less likely to oppose the war. "Sometimes, we take polls of Latinos and think whatever our findings are, it's because they're Latinos," he said. "But it may be because Latinos are overwhelmingly Democrats" (Hendricks,
(San Francisco Chronicle, 2/8). The Hotline February 8, 2005 Copyright 2005 The National Journal Group, Inc.