The 2006 National Survey of Latinos: The Immigration Debate, by the Pew Hispanic Center, is our site of the day

The 2006 National Survey of Latinos is the first major public opinion poll of the Latino population to be conducted since this year’s pro-immigration marches and debate in Washington and around the country.

While there are California polls showing the opinions of our state’s Latino voters, this survey is significant in that it shows nationwide that Latinos are feeling more discriminated against, politically energized and unified following the immigration policy debate and the pro-immigration marches this spring.

More than half (54%) of Latinos surveyed say they see an increase in discrimination as a result of the policy debate, and three-quarters (75%) say the debate will prompt many more Latinos to vote in November. Almost two-thirds (63%) think the pro-immigrant marches this year signal the beginning of a new and lasting social movement.

The 2006 National Survey of Latinos was conducted by telephone among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 Hispanic adults from June 5 to July 3, 2006. The survey has a margin of error of 3.8% for the full sample.

The survey shows that Latinos to some extent are holding the Republican Party responsible for what they perceive to be the negative consequences of the immigration debate, but the political impact of that perception is uncertain. Party affiliation among Latino registered voters has not changed significantly since the spring of 2004. However, the share of Latinos who believe the Republican Party has the best position on immigration has dropped from 25% to 16% in that time, with virtually the entire loss coming among foreign-born Hispanics (28% vs. 12%), who potentially represent an important and growing pool of future voters.

At the same time, the survey shows the work cut out for the Democratic Party nationally, which made no significant gains among Hispanic registered voters and which by some measures has lost some support.

For California specific polling, see our article from May or the poll results directly by PowerPAC.org, which is leading grassroots field campaigns in targeted regions of the state.