LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--impreMedia, the leading Hispanic news and information company, announced today the launch of a weekly national tracking poll of Latino voters done in conjunction with Latino Decisions. For the next eleven weeks, impreMedia will report on Hispanic voter preference, candidate favorability, outreach and enthusiasm among this critical voter group.
“This is a very exciting research project, and builds on previous tracking polls between impreMedia and Latino Decisions. This current project marks the first ever tracking poll of Latinos during a presidential election that will provide an accurate sample of Latinos on a weekly basis,” commented Gary Segura of Latino Decisions.
The first of these tracking polls found that Barack Obama maintains a strong lead among Latinos with 65% of voters saying they would vote for him while only 26% support Mitt Romney. Romney struggles with low favorability with only 27% of Latinos saying they have a positive view of him versus 74% for Obama.
The polls further suggest that the Republican Party itself faces an uphill battle in wooing over Latinos with only 14% of all registered voters saying the Party is doing a good job in reaching Hispanics compared to 59% who believe the Democratic Party is doing a good job.
Latinos continue to believe Jobs and the Economy (53%) and Immigration/Dream Act (51%) are the most important issues in this election. But when asked about the central topic of taxes, 66% of all respondents believe the Republican candidate should disclose his tax returns for additional years and 77% of Latino Democrats stating that he should.
According to Latino Decisions founder Matt Barreto, the results indicate that Romney faces a considerable challenge in winning over Latino voters. “In particular there are three huge challenges facing Romney: First, a large majority of Latinos continue to think Republican policies are to blame for the current state of the economy; Second, a majority of Latinos support the Obama health care bill which Romney would repeal; and Third, Romney's previous comments on immigration have created a huge barrier in his ability to connect with Latinos,” stated Barreto.
The impreMedia/Latino Decisions tracking poll is part of impreMedia's commitment to provide unique insights and superior coverage of the upcoming 2012 presidential elections. Multiplatform coverage online (http://www.laopinion.com/section/voto) will include live reporting from the national political conventions, interactive features, photo galleries, analysis and user generated content social media channels.
Latino voters could be key in determining the outcome of this election especially in key battleground states and some estimates suggest that over 12 million Latinos will vote in November. To view more data and information on this week’s poll visit: www.latinodecisions.com.
METHODOLOGY
This is the first release of an 11-week tracking poll of Latino registered voters. Each week, IM/LD will release a new rolling cross-section of 300 completed interviews with Latino registered voters across all 50 states. Interviews are conducted in English or Spanish, at the preference of the respondent, all conducted by bilingual interviewers at Latino Decisions calling center, Pacific Market Research. The survey averaged 10 minutes in length, and has an overall margin of error of 5.6% on results that approach a 50/50 distribution. All respondents confirm that they are Hispanic or Latino and currently registered to vote.
This first wave survey was in the field August 17-23, 2012.
About impreMedia
impreMedia is the leading Hispanic news and information company in the U.S. in online and print. impreMedia's multi-platform offerings range from online to video, social media, mobile, audio, newspapers and magazines, including the http://www.impremedia.com portal. 25.5% of U.S. Hispanic adults use an impreMedia network product. The network is also the nation's largest Hispanic newspaper publisher with newspapers in top U.S. Hispanic markets, reaching 15 markets total that represent 59% of the U.S. Hispanic population. Its leading publications include La Opinión in Los Angeles and El Diario La Prensa in New York. For more information, visit: http://www.impremedia.net.
ImpreMedia portals and publication websites are: www.impre.com, www.laopinion.com, www.eldiariony.com, www.hoynyc.com, www.laraza.com, www.laprensafl.com, www.elmensajero.com, www.rumbotx.com, www.vistamagazine.com, www.contigola.com, and www.lavibra.com.
About Latino Decisions
Latino Decisions is a joint effort between Pacific Market Research, a nationally known research firm, and Dr. Gary Segura and Dr. Matt Barreto, leading Latino politics scholars and professors at Stanford University and the University of Washington. Both Dr. Segura and Dr. Barreto are experienced and nationally respected researchers who have a deep understanding of U.S. Latino culture and advanced quantitative research skills. Their expertise, coupled with Pacific Market Research’s logistical capabilities, makes Latino Decisions a leader in the field. For more information, please visit www.latinodecisions.com or call 877-271-2300.