Latino Battleground Poll Results: A strong majority support protecting abortion access, Democrats have a trust advantage on key issues

Summary

BSP Research was retained by Building Back Together and Voto Latino to field a survey in four battleground states assessing the top issues impacting Latino voters and the salience of the Biden-Harris administration’s accomplishments and Democratic policy proposals. The survey was conducted from May 18–30, 2022, in English and Spanish among 1,600 registered Latino voters in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Georgia. The margin of error is ±4.9% for the topline results.

Abortion Rights a Top Issue for Latinos

After the leaked SCOTUS decision overturning Roe V. Wade and before the decision was final, our survey showed that “protecting access to abortion” ranks as a top issue among Latino voters:

• Across the battleground states, a strong majority (70%) of Latino voters support protecting the right to choose.
• The decision also spells trouble for Republicans: A strong majority of respondents said they could not support a candidate who supports policies banning all abortions, saying it would be a “deal-breaker” in Arizona (64%), Georgia (62%), Nevada (58%), and Pennsylvania (59%).

• The strongest support for choice was among young respondents 18–39 (75%), those making over $60k (73%), unmarried (73%), and those likely to vote in 2022 (71%).
• Support for choice among Catholic Latinos (68%) was not statistically different from Latinos in general (70%). The strongest opposition to choice was among Latinos who identified as conservative (58%) and Republican (45%). There was no difference between male and female respondents (70%). Married Latinos supported choice at 67%.
• The strongest audience for messaging on Latinos will be among the young (75%), unmarried (73%), and those making more than $60k a year(73%). Over 80 percent of Latino Democrats support federal legislation protecting a woman’s right to choose, as well as 69 percent of likely voters.

Biden and Democrats Trusted to Tackle Key Economic Issues

President Biden receives high marks: his favorability is at +30 points among Latino voters in the four states we polled (62% favorable, and 32% unfavorable).

Latinos showed strong support for President Biden’s accomplishments on the economy and pandemic recovery:

• 71% of Latinos said they were more likely to support President Biden after learning of his legislation that provided billions in funding to schools to help students make up for learning losses due to the pandemic.
• 69% said they were more likely to support President Biden because he rescued the economy, kept small businesses open, and achieved a record-low unemployment rate for all Americans.
• 69% said they were more likely to support President Biden because he enacted reforms to ease the burden of medical debt, such as holding medical providers and debt collectors accountable for harmful practices.

Across all four battleground states, Latino voters view inflation and the rising cost of living (32%), and the economy (30%) as the top issues, and overall, favor Democratic policy proposals and trust Democrats to tackle inflation.

Latinos Support Biden and Democratic Proposals

President Biden has a plan to get America back to work and help the middle class, and Latinos showed strong support for his proposals, which Republicans have often voted against.

Top-Testing Proposals:

• Allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug costs — 78% support.
• Capping insulin at $30 a month — 76% support.
• Enacting clean energy policies to address climate change, lower costs, and create good-paying jobs –75% support.

President Biden and Democrats’ have an advantage in tackling key issues:

• When it comes to reducing health care and prescription drug costs, Democrats had a +38 point advantage over the Republicans, 58% to 20%.
• When it comes to looking out for the middle-class, Democrats have a +29 point advantage over the Republicans, 56% to 27%.
• When asked which party had a better plan to help small business owners and self-employed people get back up and running, Democrats have a +23 point advantage, 52% to 29%.
• Democrats also have a +13 point advantage over the Republicans in addressing inflation, 45% to 32%.
• When it comes to reducing gas prices, Latinos favor Democrats, 47% to 31%.

Overall, Democrats were viewed as fighting for the middle class and they would keep Latinos’ communities safer, while Latinos were more likely to say that Republicans cared more about millionaires than ordinary people, and the GOP was out of touch with people like them.

Biden and Democratic Policies Are Popular, But More Information Needed

The problem is not a preference problem, but an information problem.

Latino voters need more information about Democratic policies. They’re not hearing enough about our proposals to combat inflation or accomplishments like the infrastructure bill. For example, when asked how much they have heard about President Biden’s infrastructure law, just 21% said they had heard a fair amount or a lot about it, emphasizing the need for further communication to Latinos on key accomplishments.