Latino Decisions and impreMedia will be releasing data from a new survey focused on the Latino electorate’s attitudes regarding the role of religion in politics on Thursday, December 8, 2011. The December survey is the sixth and final monthly tracking poll in 2011. 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 www.impre.com portal. 25.5% of all U.S. Hispanic adults use an impreMedia network product. Its leading publications include La Opinión in Los Angeles and El Diario in New York.
The Latino Decisions Tracking Poll was launched in 2010 during the midterm election and is the only on-going political tracking poll of Latino registered voters in the nation. In partnership with impreMedia, the poll focused on Latino voters’ assessment of the new Congress, the President and the most important issues leading up to the 2012 presidential election.
Religion has been a major factor during the Republican primary election, as it was during the 2008 presidential race. Given the contention by some that the conservative attitudes of the Latino population toward social issues could lead to greater success in Latino outreach for the GOP, it is an ideal time to assess the attitudes of Latinos toward religion and politics.
An extensive list of religion and politics questions were fielded, and among the results to be released on Thursday are:
_When thinking about who to vote for in next year’s election, how much will your religious beliefs shape your vote? Would you say they will have a big impact, a small impact, or no effect at all on who you will vote for?
_ How important is it that a candidate shares your same religious beliefs in deciding whether or not you will vote for them? Would you say that a candidate’s belief will have a big impact, a small impact, or no effect on who you will vote for?
_How familiar would you say you are with the religious beliefs of the Mormon faith, also called the “Latter-Day Saints Church”? Would you say you are very familiar, somewhat familiar, not very familiar, or not at all familiar with Mormonism?
_How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statement: It is a good thing when religious leaders–priests, ministers, preachers, and rabbis–tell their members which candidate they should vote for.
_Now we would like to know your reaction to different statements. After I read each pair of statements, please tell me which comes closest to your way of thinking. Okay, the first two statements are:
1) Politics is more about economic issues such as jobs, taxes, gas prices, and the minimum wage. OR
2) Politics is more about moral issues such as abortion, family values, and same-sex marriage.
Okay, the next two statements are:
1) Churches or religious leaders should provide assistance to undocumented immigrants even if providing such help is against the law in some states. OR.
2) Churches have a responsibility to follow the law, so they should not provide assistance to undocumented immigrants.
