Crime
POLL: Gun violence, crime pass economic issues as Latinos' top concern in wake of Uvalde shooting
The survey, conducted by Ipsos in partnership with Axios and Telemundo, found that 44% of Hispanic adults said crime or gun violence was among the top three topics they are most worried about, compared to 39% who said the same of inflation or supply chain breakdowns
July 18, 2022 1:54am
Updated: July 18, 2022 9:23am
A recent poll taken after the Uvalde mass shooting that killed 19 children and 2 adults found that the economy is no longer the most pressing concern amongst America’s Hispanics.
The survey, conducted by Ipsos in partnership with Axios and Telemundo, found that 44% of Hispanic adults said crime or gun violence was among the top three topics they are most worried about, compared to 39% who said the same of inflation or supply chain breakdowns.
On specific gun policies, a whopping 93% of Latinos polled said supported requiring background checks when purchasing a gun. 82% supported “red-flag” laws allowing police to confiscate guns from owners deemed dangerous by the courts.
Conducted June 9-18, the poll was taken a few weeks after the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Southern Texas.
Ipsos pollster and senior vice president Chris Jackson said that although Latino Americans are more aligned with Democrats on gun control, it “doesn’t seem like” it will translate into votes until the economy improves.
"As long as that's true, Democrats are going to continue to hemorrhage support among the Latino base,” Jackson said, regarding the importance of inflation to Hispanics.
Experts have considered Latinos a reliable vote for Democrats but a slumping economy and sky-high prices due to inflation have led its working-class members to reconsider for the 2022 midterms.
In December, The Wall Street Journal found Latino voters were evenly split between voting for a Republican and Democrat if an election was held today.
A Quinnipiac poll from April said that Hispanics were the racial group least likely to approve President Joe Biden’s job performance, mainly over the poor economy.
Hispanics in the Axios/Ipsos poll saw Democrats and Republicans’ performance on crime and safety as roughly equal (18% vs. 19%) but saw Republicans as better on the economy (25% vs. 18% for Democrats).
However, amid these concerns, the new poll found that most Hispanics are satisfied with their lives (78%) and believe it is a good time to be a Latino in America (67%).
