MIAMI, Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As
Nevada, a state with a substantial
Latino population, holds its presidential caucuses for Democrats on
Feb. 20 and Republicans on
Feb. 23, Latino registered voters
nationwide are strongly in favor of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and former U.S. Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton. Those are the
results of a new survey by Burson
Latino, the Latino practice of Burson-Marsteller, a leading
global strategic communications and public relations firm. The
survey of 1,300 registered Latino voters was conducted from
Jan. 29 to Feb. 6, 2016, in
collaboration with Research Now, New American Dimensions and the
Center for Multicultural Science.
The survey found that Rubio, a Cuban-American, commanded the
majority of the Republican vote (30 percent), while Donald Trump and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) were tied (19 percent). Among
Democrats, Clinton leads over U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) by 35 points. Clinton was
favored by 61 percent of Democratic Latino voters, while Sanders
was preferred by 26 percent.
Twenty-three percent of the Latino voters surveyed say they are
independents. Of those who said they were independents nearly 49
percent of them said they would support one of the two Democratic
candidates. Nearly 28 percent of these independent voters said they
would vote for one of the Republican candidates. The remainder of
those who say they are independent report they are undecided
between the two parties, leaving a sizable swing segment among
Latino voters.
"Latinos are poised to play a crucial role in the U.S.
presidential elections," said Donald A.
Baer, Worldwide Chair and CEO, Burson-Marsteller. "This new
survey provides invaluable insights about how to connect with these
voters as this unpredictable 2016 campaign advances."
The survey also found that no single issue could define the race
among Latinos. Regardless of party affiliation, education and the
economy were rated as the two most important issues to Latino
voters. Ninety-two percent of Democrats and 82 percent of
Republicans ranked education as important, while the economy was
ranked as important by an overwhelming 90 percent of Democrats and
92 percent of Republicans.
"As we approach the Nevada
caucuses, Super Tuesday and beyond, diverse states with significant
Latino voter populations will begin to take center stage," said
Jorge Ortega, Executive Vice
President and Burson Latino lead.
"This national poll takes into account how Latinos actually feel
about the core issues being discussed by the candidates - rather
than relying on their party affiliation to indicate their
stance."
For example, the survey of Latino voters revealed
that:
- Latinos favor health insurance coverage for all. A broad
majority of Latino Democrats (87 percent) and independents (73
percent) said that health insurance coverage for all was an
important issue. A narrow majority of Latino Republicans (52
percent) agreed with this view.
- Social issues lack traction among Latinos. Abortion (50
percent Democrat and Republican), gay marriage (42 percent
Democrat, 28 percent Republican) and legalization of marijuana (33
percent Democrat, 23 percent Republican) were all rated of
relatively low importance to Latino voters in the study.
- Immigration and border control take a backseat to economic
issues. New job creation, job security and the ability to
receive a raise all ranked much higher in importance than
immigration policy and the potential of a wall being built on the
U.S.-Mexico border.
"The poll exclusively targeted Latino, registered voters - a
rarity in this election season," said Dr. Jake Beniflah, Executive Director of The Center
for Multicultural Science. "States with much more diverse
populations will be having their primaries soon, so Latino voters
will only continue to grow in importance. It is critical for the
candidates to have a clear understanding of what's important to
this voting demographic to secure their support."
The complete summary findings can be found on the
Burson-Marsteller website here.
About the Survey
The Latino Vote: Surprising Sentiments on Issues and
Candidates was compiled via an online research study conducted
from Jan. 29 to Feb. 6, 2016, using
the Research Now Voter Panel with more than 1,000,000 verified U.S.
voters. Sample size for this study was 1,300 registered Latino
voters across all 50 states. Sample: 65/35 female/female, median
age of 46, 50% Democrat, 25% Republican, 22% Independent, 2%
Libertarian, and 1% Other. The margin of error associated with a
probability sample of 1300 respondents is +/-2.7% at a 95%
confidence level. The Research Now voter panel is an opt-in panel,
and cannot be considered a probability sample.
About Burson-Marsteller
Burson-Marsteller,
established in 1953, is a leading global strategic communications
and global public relations firm. It provides clients with
strategic thinking and program execution across a full range of
public relations, public affairs, reputation and crisis management,
advertising and digital strategies. The firm's seamless worldwide
network consists of 73 offices and 85 affiliate offices, together
operating in 110 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller
is a part of Young & Rubicam Group, a subsidiary of WPP
(NASDAQ: WPPGY), the world's leader in communications services. For
more information, please visit www.burson-marsteller.com.
About Research Now
Research Now is the global leader
in digital data collection to power analytics and insights. It
enables data-driven decision making for its 3,000 market research,
consulting, media, and corporate clients through its
permission-based access to millions of deeply-profiled consumers
using online, mobile, social media and behavioral data collection
technology platforms. The company operates in 35 countries, from 23
offices around the globe, and is recognized as the quality, scale
and customer satisfaction leader in its industry. In addition to
proprietary B2B and B2C panels, Research Now has the capability to
provide integrated data solutions to incorporate third-party
matching and customized segmentation. For political researchers in
the U.S., the Research Now Voter Panel provides access to more than
1 million voters profiled on multiple attributes, including voter
registration status, Congressional district, past voting behavior
and party affiliation, in addition to standard demographic and
behavioral variables. For more information, please visit
www.researchnow.com.
About New American Dimensions
New American Dimensions
is a full service marketing research firm specializing in
multicultural consumers, including the Hispanic, African American,
Asian American, and LGBT segments. The company was
established in 2003 on the premise that innovative, pioneering
marketing solutions are required for companies to effectively win
the hearts and minds of America's burgeoning multicultural consumer
marketplace. For more information, including access to some
of our non-proprietary studies, please visit
www.newamericandimensions.com.
About The Center for Multicultural Science
Established
in 2010, the Center for Multicultural Science is the first
non-partisan, non-profit U.S. think tank dedicated to bridging
the gap between academia and corporations in multicultural
marketing. Dr. Jake Beniflah is the
executive director at the Center for Multicultural Science
and has spent 25-years working with leading
marketing organizations to drive return on investment for
Hispanic and mainstream consumers in senior-level positions in the
advertising industry. His areas of expertise include consumer
insights, cognition, and brand strategy. Dr. Beniflah is also the
founding editor of the Journal of Cultural Marketing Strategy. Jake
received his doctorate in business administration from Golden Gate University in 2010.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rubio-clinton-far-ahead-of-opponents-with-double-digit-latino-voter-leads-according-to-new-survey-300222404.html
SOURCE Burson-Marsteller