These are the most important issues for Hispanic Americans

Jamie BallardData Journalist
September 25, 2018, 5:00 PM GMT+0

Hispanics are significantly more likely than the total population to say that the laws around guns should be “much more strict”

Government healthcare, gun control, and illegal immigration citizenship are the top issues among Hispanics living in the US, according to data from YouGov Plan & Track.

Respondents are asked about a variety of topics and issues, and then asked to rate how important particular issues are to them. More than one-third (34%) of Hispanics say that government healthcare is a top issue for them, while an equal number (34%) say that gun control is a top issue for them.

For the government healthcare topic, people are asked: “Do you support or oppose the government making sure that every American has health insurance?” Nearly half (46%) of Hispanics say they “support strongly” while another 23% say they “support somewhat.” Similarly, 44% of the total population also chose “support strongly,” while 19% said they “support somewhat.”

Around the topic of gun control, respondents are asked “Do you think gun control laws should be made more or less strict than they are now?” Hispanics (44%) are significantly more likely than the total population (36%) to say that the laws should be “much more strict.”

Illegal immigration citizenship is another topic on which Hispanics tend to have opinions that differ slightly from the total population. Respondents are asked “Would you support or oppose giving illegal immigrants who have lived in the US for a long time, and who have not committed any crimes, a way of legalizing their status and one day getting citizenship?”

Over half (56%) of Hispanics say they would “strongly support” this idea, while only 43% of the general population agreed. The total population overall was almost twice as likely (13%) as Hispanics (7%) to “strongly oppose” giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.

Other top issues among Hispanics include police profiling (30%) and social security (29%). For profiling, people are asked “Do you think it’s okay for law enforcement to decide to stop or search people partly on the basis of their race?” Over half (56%) of Hispanics and 58% of the total population say “No, definitely not.” For the topic of social security, people are asked “Do you think social security is fine the way it is, is in need of reform, or should be done away with completely?” One-third (33%) of the total population, and 31% of Hispanics say that it’s in need of major reform.

Learn more about YouGov Plan & Track.

Image: Getty

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