FAU Poll Finds Global Warming is a Serious Concern to Hispanics and an Important Issue in Presidential Election

BOCA RATON, Fla., July 8, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A majority of Hispanics believe that global warming is a serious problem and an important issue in the 2016 presidential election, according to the latest survey conducted by the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative (FAU BEPI) in the College of Business.

More than 73 percent of Hispanics consider global warming to be a somewhat serious or very serious problem. Voters from both parties appear to be concerned about global warming, with 82 percent of Democrats and 62.2 percent of Republicans saying it's a somewhat serious or very serious problem.

Nearly three out of five respondents (58 percent) consider global warming an important issue in the 2016 presidential election, including 60.9 percent of Democrats, 52.9 percent of Republicans, and 55.9 percent of those who identified themselves as independent or not registered.

"These results suggest that the issue is not as partisan with important sections of the electorate as one might guess looking at Congress," said Colin Polsky, Ph.D., director of the Center for Environmental Studies at FAU.

Survey participants also were asked about Pope Francis' encyclical, published in mid-June, on the effects of global warming on the poor and the need to protect the earth and its environment. When asked what, if any, impact they thought the Catholic Church could have on this issue, 60.9 percent of respondents said the church's position can have a major impact.

The Consumer Sentiment Index among Hispanics bounced back from its lowest level of 2015 at 89.77 the previous month to 98.44 in June. The Current Economic Conditions jumped nearly 11 points from May to an all-time high of 103.49. The Index of Consumer Expectations recovered from a new low for the year in May of 87.74 to reach 95.19. 

"A plausible explanation of the increase in all three indices might be the improving labor market," said Monica Escaleras, Ph.D., director of the BEPI. "The unemployment rate among Hispanics decreased from 6.7 percent in May to 6.6 percent in June and is now down a full percentage point from a year ago."

The survey was conducted nationally from June 1 through June 30. For more information, visit www.business.fau.edu/bepi.  

About FAU BEPI:
The Florida Atlantic University Business and Economic Polling Initiative Conducts surveys on business, economic, political and social issues with a focus on Hispanic attitudes and opinions at regional, state and national levels via planned monthly national surveys. The initiative subscribes to the American Association of Public Opinion Research and is a resource for public and private organizations, academic research and media outlets. In addition, the initiative is designed to contribute to the educational mission of the University by providing students with valuable opportunities to enhance their educational experience by designing and carry out public opinion research.

About Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU's world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU's existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.

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SOURCE Florida Atlantic University Business and Economic Polling Initiative

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