Poll: A majority of Hispanics believe fentanyl is a serious problem

A new poll by The Economist/YouGov found that a total of 81% of Hispanics believe that fentanyl is a serious problem in the United States, as the country continues to battle with the opioid crisis. 

When asked whether they had heard anything about fentanyl, 36% of Hispanic respondents answered that they had heard a lot, 44% answered that they had heard a little, and 21% said they had heard nothing at all. 

However, when asked how serious of a problem fentanyl is in the nation, 45% of Hispanic respondents said it was a “very serious” problem, compared to 36% who said it was only “somewhat serious,” and 4% who thought it was “not very serious.” 

Similarly, about 40% of Hispanic respondents believe that the government should be doing much more to address the distribution of the dangerous opioid, compared to 22% who said the government should be doing somewhat less of an effort to combat the drug. 

The figures for Hispanic respondents, however, were much lower than their White and Black counterparts. Compared to the 36% of Hispanics that knew of fentanyl, 54% of White respondents and 44% of Black respondents said they had heard of the drug. 

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that killed more than 70,000 people in the U.S. in 2021, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overdoses from the drug happen more frequently when fentanyl is combined with other drugs, such as cocaine or methamphetamines. 

While the effects of the fentanyl crisis can be seen throughout the nation, Latino communities have been significantly impacted by the synthetic opioid with overdose fatalities among Hispanic communities tripling since 2011, according to a study published in March. 

“In the United States, combined stimulant/opioid overdose mortality has risen dramatically over the last decade. These increases may particularly affect non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic populations,” the report says.