AP/Univision Hispanic Poll shows lukewarm support for assimilation
An Associated Press / Univision poll of Hispanics conducted earlier this year [1] shows lukewarm support for assimilation, that Hispanics are mostly associating with other Hispanics, that many Hispanics consider "Hispanic" to be a race, and low support for the GOP. Demographic information is at [2].
* Here's the breakdown for "How important is it for Hispanics/Latinos to change so that they blend into the larger American society?":
Total Important 54
Extremely important 18
Very important 35
Somewhat important 28
Total Not important 17
Not too important 10
Not at all important 7
* The breakdown for "How important is it for Hispanics/Latinos to maintain their distinct cultures?":
Total Important 66
Extremely important 21
Very important 45
Somewhat important 23
Total Not important 10
Not too important 7
Not at all important 3
Don’t know (DO NOT READ) *
Refused (DO NOT READ) 1
* Asked "How many, if any, of your friends are Hispanic/Latino?", 63% said all or more than half.
* Asked for their race, 41% selected "White, Caucasian", and 48% offered "Hispanic" (which apparently wasn't one of the original choices but was added due to many answering it).
* Asked "If an Hispanic/Latino is running for an elected office, does the fact that he or she is Hispanic/Latino make you more likely to vote for that candidate, less likely to vote for that candidate, or wouldn’t this matter to you?", 41% said "More likely", 51% said "Would not matter".
* It shows great support for their children getting college educations. However, 33% say they're "Less than high school graduate"; 85% of all Americans are high school graduates [3]. In the poll, 15% have Bachelor's degrees or higher; 27.7% of all Americans have at least a Bachelor's degree.
* The poll shows a disturbingly high dual citizenship rate of 34%. 65% of that number are dual citizens of Mexico.
* 42% said they're Democrats, versus just 12% choosing Republican.
* Speaking about the GOP and politicians in general, asked "Keeping in mind that Hispanics/Latinos in the United States come from many different countries, which of the following two statements comes closer to your view?", 67% chose "All have separate and distinct cultures". That somewhat flies in the face of the habit of most politicians who treat Hispanics as a monolithic bloc. However, 32% chose "Hispanics/Latinos from different countries share one Hispanic/Latino culture", which supports the ethnic nationalistic goals of those like Bill Richardson.
[1] surveys.ap.org/data%5CNORC%5CAP-Univision%20Topline_posting.pdf
If that URL changes I can provide a download link for the version I looked at.
[2] It was conducted March 11 – June 3, 2010 of "1,521 Hispanic adults". 70% said they were citizens; 46% said they were born in the U.S.; 32% said they were born in Mexico.
[3] census.gov/prod/2004pubs/p20-550.pdf