Frustration, Fear Prevail in Hispanic Community, Poll Shows

Latin American Herald Tribune: The majority of U.S. Hispanics feel frustrated in the face of the failure of immigration reform, according to a survey released Thursday. The results of the investigation, the first in a series of six surveys performed by Spanish-language media giant impreMedia in conjunction with opinion-research outfit Latino Decisions, show a community worried about the economic outlook. “Latinos are very afraid that someone in their family or they themselves may lose their job,” Pilar Marrero, a journalist for impreMedia tasked with analyzing the results of the survey, told Efe. The results of the survey of 500 registered Hispanic voters in 21 states reveals discontent over the failure of attempts to reform the immigration laws, the issue that 47 percent ranked as their top priority. The recession has made itself felt in the majority of Hispanic homes. More than five out of every 10 people surveyed said that during the past year they were worried “many times” that they would not have enough money to pay their bills. “There’s no doubt that that’s going to have an effect on future elections,” Marrero said. The poll showed that almost 40 percent of Hispanics are very concerned about the possibility of losing their job, while 5 percent of those surveyed were unemployed.