A new poll by Earthjustice and GreenLatinos found that a majority of Latinos feel the impacts of climate change and want to see the US move towards a low-carbon economy.
WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE A LOOK
Latinos represent an ever-growing portion of the US population, yet only a quarter of respondents had any experience with environmental groups or petitions. The findings of this poll suggest that Latinos are a serious source of potential change in the US.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The findings for this poll came from a sample of 1,200 Latino voters across the US. No matter how you slice it, the majority of Latino respondents expressed strong support for climate action.
Concerned and impacted. 82% of respondents are worried about global warming. 66% say global warming is human-caused. 78% said that they have experienced the effects of global warming in their state. 66% worried aobut impacts of drought and floding to their families living in their country of ancestry.
Strong supporters of climate policy. 84% of respondents support mandating clean energy like wind and solar. 83% support requiring power plants to reduce carbon emissions. 82% want the US to work to create an international treaty to reduce carbon pollution
Optimists about the economics. 59% said that enacting stronger environmental laws would “improve economic growth and new jobs,” compared to a meager 19% that thought it would “reduce economic job growth and cost jobs.”
Willing to make a sacrifice. 77% were very or somewhat willing to pay an extra $5 per month in utilities for “electricity from clean energy sources such as wind and solar,” and 75% were very or somewhat willing to pay an extra $10 per month.
Latino votes hinge on environmental protection. 72% were more likely to support a politician who upholds policies that protect the environment.
Unheard voices and missed opportunities. 76% of respondents report never having been contacted by an environmental agency to take action on behalf of the environment, 74% never having signed a petition, 87% never been members of an environmental group
Not environmentalists. 62% described themselves as someone who cares about the environment without using the term “environmentalist.”
(cc) Flickr eve mosher
