Assessing Latino Public Opinion on Foreign Affairs and Its Potential Impact on the 2012 Presidential Election

Abstract

As the Latina population of the United States grows and the “Sleeping Giant” is expected to play a more significant role in the nation’s elections and governance more attention must be paid to the factors influencing Latina public opinion and political behavior on a myriad of issues. While there is a growing literature addressing Latina partisanship and opinion on issues such as morality and social welfare programs, there is a dearth of information regarding their opinion on foreign affairs and policy outside of Latin America. We review the limited studies that exist examining Latina opinion on policy issues and then explain why this can and will matter in Latina voting behavior and finally, using data from the 2006 Pew Hispanic Center survey on Latinas and Religion in the U.S., we explain how such factors as religion, country of origin and ideology influence Latina public opinion on foreign affairs demonstrating a need for much greater study in this area.

Keywords: Public Opinion, Voting Behavior, Latinos/as, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Religion, U.S. Presidential Elections, Israel, Palestine, War in Iraq