Colorado Latino voters surveyed say state should address economy and cost of living
According to a poll of registered Latino voters in Colorado, 46% who live in Congressional District 3, which includes Pueblo, believe their city or town is heading in the wrong direction. In the same poll, 69% reported not having been contacted so they can register to vote.
The poll comes from the Colorado Latino Policy Agenda, which conducts an annual, nonpartisan report to provide insight on Latinos’ views concerning political and pressing policy issues, according to the agenda’s executive summary.
BSP Research, a national research firm, gathered responses from 1,504 registered Latino voters between July 5 and Aug. 5 earlier this year. There were 260 respondents in the southeast region, where Pueblo was one of 15 participating counties. Samples were gathered from other regions classified as west (442 responses), northeast (284) and Denver/metro (518).
Poll participants were asked about several different political issues such as housing, health care, gun violence, the economy, women’s reproductive rights and more.
According to the poll, respondents reported jobs and economy, along with cost of living as two issues Latino communities face which Colorado officials should address. Improving wages and income also ranked highly.
The economy was the top issue for respondents in the southeast region, followed by cost of living and inflation and wages and income. More than one-fifth (21%) of respondents, and the highest percentage in the state, reported police brutality and reform as an important issue.
The southeast region also had the lowest self-reported vaccination rate statewide at 65%, and 36% said they don’t trust the area’s drinking water, the highest rate in the state.
More than 27% of those polled reported having less than $100 in savings and more than half (57%) said they have $1,000 or less.
Respondents in this year’s poll were 84% in support of of policies that address racial discrimination directed at Latinos or other communities of color, which comes after 1 in 4 Latinos polled last year reported hearing an offensive remark or “being told to go back to another country because they are Hispanic or Latino,” according to the report.
Nearly 62% of people surveyed in the 2022 poll reported worrying about being a victim of a hate crime from white supremacy or hate groups and about half said funding for local police departments should increase to address law enforcement discrimination.
County-level data was not provided in the report.
The Latino Chamber of Commerce of Pueblo, which was originally created to give a voice to the Hispanic community, according to its website, plans to host seminars and training sessions on financial literacy over the next few months, said Noah Commerford, the chamber’s president.
Pueblo Chamber of Commerce, Pueblo School District 60, Pueblo County School District 70 and local credit unions will join the seminars and sessions to assist Latinos in need, some of whom experience difficulty securing a bank account, car or house, or trouble with credit scores, Commerford said.
Another area of focus for the Latino Chamber is limited internet access in specific pockets of Pueblo. The Bessemer Neighborhood, Eastwood Heights and Mesa Junction are locations Commerford cited where the chamber wants to help tackle the issue.
“All these areas have good mixtures of residential properties and businesses, but internet access is not the same as Pueblo West or the north side of Pueblo,” Commerford said.
Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @josuepwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Colorado Latino voters say state should address economy, cost of living
