Poll: Hispanics In NYC

Most New Yorkers are pessimistic about the nation's economy and most are fearful of losing their jobs – and New York Hispanics are especially worried. In their concerns about jobs, Hispanic New Yorkers are not only more apprehensive than many others in the city, but also more worried than other Hispanics across the United States. They also report lower household incomes than Hispanics in the nation as a whole.

Like most New Yorkers, Hispanics in New York have a pessimistic outlook on the nation's economy, the direction of the country, and disapprove of the way President George W. Bush is handling his job.

A majority of New Yorkers are troubled by the prospect of someone in their household losing a job, but this fear is particularly strong among Hispanic New Yorkers: 79% of them are at least somewhat concerned about it – including 58% who describe themselves as very concerned - while 60% of non-Hispanics are concerned.

CONCERNED ABOUT LOSING A JOB?

Very concerned
New York Hispanics
58%
New York Non-Hispanics
35%
U.S. Hispanics
49%

Somewhat concerned
New York Hispanics
21%
New York Non-Hispanics
25%
U.S. Hispanics
23%

Not concerned
New York Hispanics
20%
New York Non-Hispanics
37%
U.S. Hispanics
29%

In addition, Hispanics in New York are also more likely to be out of work now. 27% of Hispanic New Yorkers say they are out of work, compared to 18% of U.S. Hispanics and 12% of non-Hispanic New Yorkers.

THE ECONOMY

New Yorkers as a whole are negative about the national economy. Over two-thirds of both Hispanics and non-Hispanics in New York say the economy is in bad shape. New York Hispanics are also more likely than Hispanics nationwide to say the U.S. economy is doing badly: two-thirds of Hispanic New Yorkers say it is in bad shape, while 50% of Hispanics nationwide agree.

RATING THE NATIONAL ECONOMY

Good
New York Hispanics
33%
New York Non-Hispanics
32%
U.S. Hispanics
49%

Bad
New York Hispanics
66%
New York Non-Hispanics
68%
U.S. Hispanics
50%

New York Hispanics are also more pessimistic about the future of the economy: 49% of them think it is getting worse, compared to 35% of Hispanics nationwide who think so. 41% of non-Hispanic New Yorkers say the economy is getting worse.

Given the widespread concerns about the economy and unemployment, it is not surprising that both Hispanics and non-Hispanics say the economy and jobs are the most important issues facing the country as a whole. 41% of Hispanics name it as their top concern and 37% of non-Hispanics agree. Hispanics nationwide also cite the economy and jobs as their top concern, but in lesser numbers than those in New York.

Like Hispanics nationwide, Hispanic New Yorkers are also concerned about the war in Iraq and terrorism -- and they are much more likely than non-Hispanic New Yorkers to name it as a top concern. 16% of Hispanics in New York list the war with Iraq as the country's number one problem, compared with just 9% of non-Hispanics. Another 15% of Hispanics mention terrorism, while just 5% of non-Hispanics do.

With pressing concerns about the economy and job loss, New Yorkers overall and New York Hispanics are more likely than Hispanics nationally to believe the country is on the wrong track. Two-thirds of Hispanics in New York say this, while 28% say things are going in the right direction. Hispanics nationwide also think the country is on the wrong track, but not to the same extent as New York Hispanics.

DIRECTION OF THE COUNTRY

Right direction
New York Hispanics
28%
New York Non-Hispanics
24%
U.S. Hispanics
38%

Wrong Track
New York Hispanics
67%
New York Non-Hispanics
63%
U.S. Hispanics
50%

But despite this current outlook, most Hispanics nationwide are optimistic about the future for their children, and New York Hispanics are no exception. 69% believe the future for the next generation will be better, an optimistic outlook also held by Hispanics nationwide.

And 77% say that their own opportunities now are better than their parents'. These sentiments also reflect more optimism than among non-Hispanics in New York, and are shared by Hispanics nationwide.

BLOOMBERG

Closer to home, New Yorkers continue to give Mayor Michael Bloomberg poor approval ratings, and Hispanic New Yorkers disapprove in even larger numbers. Just 25% of all New Yorkers approve of the job Bloomberg is doing as Mayor, and just 17% of Hispanics approve. 27% of New York non-Hispanics approve of the job he is doing.

BLOOMBERG JOB APPROVAL

Approve
New York Total
25%
New York Hispanics
17%
New York Non-Hispanics
27%

Disapprove
New York Total
67%
New York Hispanics
74%
New York Non-Hispanics
65%

Hispanics are less likely than non-Hispanics to think Mayor Bloomberg cares about them. Only a quarter of Hispanic New Yorkers say Bloomberg cares about their needs and problems; 72% say he cares not much or not at all. Among non-Hispanics, nearly 4 in 10 say Bloomberg cares about them.

RACE RELATIONS

Most Hispanics view relations between Hispanics and blacks and Hispanics and whites as good, but they are more negative than whites and blacks in their assessments of these relationships.

Over half – 57% - of Hispanic New Yorkers say relations between Hispanics and whites and relations between Hispanics and blacks are good, but a much higher 73% of non-Hispanic whites rate relations between Hispanic and whites as good.

Views on Hispanic-black relations are similar. While just over half of Hispanics think relations between blacks and Hispanics are good, non-Hispanic blacks are more positive in their assessment. 77% think relations between Hispanics and blacks are good.

DISCRIMINATION

37% of New York City Hispanics say they have felt discriminated against – nearly the same number of Hispanics who say so nationwide. But an even higher number – 56% -of non-Hispanic blacks living in New York report having been discriminated against.

EVER BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST?

Yes
Hispanics
37%
Black Non-Hispanics
56%

No
Hispanics
62%
Black Non-Hispanics
44%

Most commonly, Hispanics in New York who said they had faced discrimination report that they were unfairly questioned by the police or were victims of racial profiling – this was cited by 19%. An equal number of non-Hispanic blacks in New York who reported facing discrimination said they had faced police questioning or racial profiling.

35% of Hispanic New Yorkers think that if they had some trouble with the police (a traffic violation or other minor incident) they would be given a harder time than other people. This is slightly higher than Hispanics nationwide; 28% of them believe they would be given harder treatment by police.

Among black New Yorkers who are not Hispanic, 42% think that if they had some trouble with the police they would be given a harder time than other people.

SOCIAL ISSUES

Majorities of both Hispanic and non-Hispanic New Yorkers think abortion should be available at least in some cases, but non-Hispanics support making abortion generally available much more strongly than Hispanics do. 61% of non-Hispanics think abortion should be available to those who want it, while just 25% of Hispanics agree with this position.

New York non-Hispanics support the idea of gay marriage by 51% to 41%, but Hispanic New Yorkers are more divided on allowing gay couples to marry. 48% oppose gay marriage, 46% favor it. But there's more support for the idea of gay marriage among Hispanics in New York than among Hispanics nationwide.

Both Hispanic and non-Hispanic New Yorkers support tax-funded vouchers that can help pay tuition for children to attend private or religious schools. Six in ten New York Hispanics support tax-funded vouchers, as do 55% of New York non-Hispanics. Hispanics on a national level also favor school vouchers, but with somewhat less support: 52% favor vouchers.

The vast majority of Hispanic New Yorkers – 84% - favor affirmative action programs. And while about the same number of non-Hispanic blacks affirmative favor these programs, there is less support for affirmative action among white non-Hispanics.

LANGUAGE AND ASSIMILATION

When it comes to which language they speak at home, Hispanic New Yorkers are not much different than Hispanics nationwide. 46% of Hispanic New Yorkers say they speak only or mostly Spanish at home, and 35% say they speak both English and Spanish equally. Just one in five speak mostly or only English. Hispanic New Yorkers born outside the U.S. are more likely to speak Spanish at home than those
born in the U.S.

Respondents to this CBS News/New York Times Poll were given the option of taking the survey in English or Spanish. Almost all Hispanic New Yorkers who were born in the U.S. took the survey in English. Of those born outside the U.S., 79% took the survey in Spanish.

NEW YORK CITY VS. THE U.S.

There are some demographic differences between Hispanic New Yorkers and Hispanics nationwide.

New York Hispanics report being less affluent than Hispanics nationwide: 62% of New York Hispanics report having household incomes under $30,000 per year, compared to 51% of Hispanics nationally. New York Hispanics are twice as likely to be union members.

There are some differences with regard to education as well. More than half – 53%- of Hispanic New Yorkers say they do not have a high school diploma, compared to 47% of Hispanics nationwide.

Hispanics in New York are somewhat less likely to be married than Hispanics nationwide, but both groups are equally likely to have children.

A higher percentage of New York's Hispanics report they were born either outside the country, or in Puerto Rico, than do Hispanics nationwide. These foreign-born Hispanics have lower education and household income than New York Hispanics born in the 50 states.

New York Hispanics born outside the United States or Puerto Rico are more likely to report that they have become U.S. citizens than are foreign-born Hispanics nationwide. Just over one-third of foreign-born New York Hispanics say they are now U.S. citizens, while 23% of foreign-born Hispanics nationwide say they are. 37% of foreign-born New York Hispanics say they are applying or plan to apply for citizenship, and just over one-quarter report they have no plans to apply.

THE PARTIES AND THE PRESIDENT

New Yorkers are more likely to identify themselves as Democrats than are Americans nationwide: 51% of New Yorkers say they are Democrats, compared to 32% of Americans. Similarly, New York Hispanics are more likely to identify themselves as Democrats than are Hispanics nationwide.

Both Hispanic and non-Hispanic New Yorkers are more likely than the rest of the county to give President George W. Bush low marks for his job performance. 34% of New Yorkers approve of the job President George W. Bush is doing, while 54% of all Americans approve of the President's performance. And on this point, Hispanic New Yorkers agree more with their fellow New Yorkers than with other Hispanics across the country: just 37% of Hispanic New Yorkers approve of Bush's performance, while 52% of Hispanics nationwide approve.

BUSH JOB APPROVAL

Approve
Total NYC
34%
NYC Hispanics
37%

Disapprove
Total NYC
58%
NYC Hispanics
51%

MEDIA

Hispanic New Yorkers watch or listen to English-language television and radio broadcasts as much as they do Spanish-language programming. 43% watch or listen to mostly English-language broadcasts, and another 23% watch or listen to programming in both English and Spanish. A third watch or listen to mostly Spanish-language broadcasts. Foreign-born Hispanics living in New York are more likely than U.S. born Hispanics to watch and listen to Spanish-language broadcasts.

Six in ten Hispanic New Yorkers say the national media does an accurate job of reporting news about Hispanic issues. However, non-Hispanic New Yorkers disagree. 45% say the national media does not do an accurate job of reporting Hispanic issues.

Hispanic New Yorkers are also more likely than non-Hispanic New Yorkers to say that television entertainment shows portray Hispanic people accurately.

For detailed information on how CBS News conducts public opinion surveys, click here.

This poll was conducted among a random sample of 811 adults in New York City interviewed by telephone July 13-27, 2003. The sample includes 391 Hispanics and 418 non-Hispanics. Respondents were weighted to reflect the actual ethnic distribution of the New York City population. The error due to sampling could be plus or minus four percentage points based on the entire sample. The sampling errors could be plus or minus five percentage points for the Hispanic sample as well as the non-Hispanic sample. The national poll was conducted among a random sample of 3,092 adults nationwide interviewed by telephone July 13-27, 2003.