FAU Poll Finds Hispanics Less Optimistic on Economy than General Population and Favor Path to Citizenship

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BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The first survey conducted by Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative (FAU BEPI) within the College of Business finds Hispanics are significantly less optimistic about the economy than the population as a whole. 

On the Index of Consumer Sentiment, an established measure of relative optimism, Hispanics surveyed in August scored a 68.3 compared to the 82.5 score from Thomson Reuters University of Michigan sample taken in the same month.

"The data suggests that education is a key factor in consumer sentiment and outlook. Hispanics without a high school degree scored a 58 on the index while those with a college degree held an 87 score," said Monica Escaleras, Ph.D., director of the initiative. "The same trend applies to the Index of Current Conditions and the Index of Consumer Expectations." 

The FAU survey sample included 649 Hispanics across the nation with a margin of error of 3.8 percent. 

*http://press.sca.isr.umich.edu/press/press_release  

Pathway to citizenship favored by majority of Hispanics polled

The FAU BEPI survey also reveals that 57 percent of Hispanics support a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants.  When asked about the current wave of children illegally immigrating to the U.S. and the speed of associated legal procedures, 55 percent of Hispanics wanted to see the legal process sped up versus 45 percent who wanted to keep it as it is.

This survey is the first in a series of planned monthly national surveys of Hispanics by the FAU BEPI.  Several other opinions on various topics also are polled in the survey. Additional information about this survey and the initiative can be accessed at business.fau.edu/bepi.

SOURCE FAU Business and Economics Polling Institute