For decades, some political analysts have argued that Hispanics in the United States are socially conservative, and indeed many of them are.
But a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that a solid majority of this diverse population — whether Catholic, Protestant or religiously unaffiliated — believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases.
This is an interesting finding, as the debate on the topic is in focus ahead of the November 5 elections.
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris supports abortion rights. Her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, boasts of his Supreme Court appointments that led to the repeal of the national right to abortion.
Overall, the new AP-NORC poll, conducted Sept. 12-16, found that Hispanic Protestants and Catholics — despite their theological differences — are remarkably similar in their demographic makeup and views on important issues, including abortion and immigration.
Opinions on abortion
According to the survey, nearly 4 in 10 Hispanics in the United States identify themselves as Catholic, a third as Protestant or “other Christian,” and a quarter as unaffiliated with any religion. Nearly half of Protestants identified themselves as evangelical, as did 10 percent of Catholics.
About 6 in 10 Hispanic Protestants and nearly two-thirds of Hispanic Catholics say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. A similar percentage think Congress should pass a law guaranteeing access to legal abortion nationwide.
That’s similar to other major religious groups in the United States, except for white evangelical Protestants; only a quarter of them say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Overall, majorities of American Catholics across multiple demographic groups support abortion rights, despite opposition from the Church.
Ali Valenzuela, a government professor at American University who studies Latino politics, said many Hispanics used to be against abortion, largely because of their religiosity.
He attributed the change of opinion to “the new political reality” after the overturning Roe vs. Wade in 2022, which put access to abortion at risk in many states.
About 4 in 10 Hispanic, Protestant and Catholic registered voters said abortion policy is one of the most important issues for their vote in November. But the economy, health care, crime and immigration are among the issues they care about even more.
Trump vs. Harris
As for the presidential race, Hispanics were sharply divided in their evaluations of Harris and Trump. Nearly 4 in 10 Hispanic Protestants and half of Hispanic Catholics have a somewhat or very favorable opinion of Harris, and Trump is viewed favorably by about 4 in 10 Hispanic Protestants and Catholics.
Lorraine Martinez, a 68-year-old Californian, said she was raised Catholic. While she doesn’t attend church regularly now, her upbringing in the faith informs her values of “caring for your neighbor, being kind and not cruel.”
She said her 35 years as a school teacher inform her priorities this election season: immigration and education.
“Seeing the (migrant) children come and thrive, and the acceptance of the other children toward them is phenomenal,” said Martinez, who remembers Vietnamese refugees at her school from the 1980s and different immigrant groups since then.
Martinez, who plans to vote for Harris, added that she strongly opposes mass deportations and family separations.
It also supports legal access to abortion, considering reproductive health issues, including in vitro fertilization treatments, as something that women should decide without government interference.
Pam Butcher, 54, of Waverly, West Virginia, whose maternal family came to the United States from Mexico, is a Trump supporter and says abortion should be illegal in most cases.
“It’s very important to me; I’m pro-life,” Butcher said. “I mean, if a mother’s life is in danger, then you have to do it to save her, and if that’s her choice, possibly rape and incest… But to me, it’s murder.”
Trump, he said, “did not ban abortion, but rather gave states their rights back” on a highly contentious issue.
Butcher attends a Protestant church and says her faith is important in her daily life, as well as her decision to vote for Trump.
“The country was founded on religious principles,” he said. “I don’t think religion should be imposed on anyone. But I don’t think it should be taken out of everything either.”
Gabriela Maldonaldo, 20, a Catholic from Chicago, also said she will vote for Trump.
She opposes abortion, although she acknowledges that it is sometimes a medical necessity. She believes that Republicans will be able to handle other issues that are important to her, such as the economy, crime and immigration.
For Californian Haylee Rader, 21, the biggest problem this election season is inflation. “It’s hard to even afford a gallon of milk, and gas is so expensive,” said the community college student, adding that her Hispanic mother has to drive a half-hour to work.
On immigration, Rader believes that “simply crossing is wrong” and that the government needs a better system to legally process those who come to the United States seeking safety.
In the poll, nearly half of registered Hispanic Protestant and Catholic voters said immigration is one of the most important issues for their vote; nearly 1 in 10 in each group said it is not important.
About 6 in 10 Hispanic Protestants and Catholics said religious groups should provide assistance to immigrants living in the U.S. without legal permission. That’s in line with the views of Americans overall.
Neither Trump nor Harris has an advantage among Hispanic Catholics in their handling of immigration. Latino Protestants are slightly more likely to say they trust Trump to handle the issue.
Other survey results:
—2 in 10 say they attend church once a week or several times a week, almost 4 in 10 attend at least once a month, and 2 in 10 never go.
—Seven in 10 Hispanic Catholics say they speak a language other than English at home, compared with about half of Hispanic Protestants.
—Six in 10 Hispanic Catholics have a somewhat or very favorable view of Pope Francis, compared with about three in 10 Hispanic Protestants. Overall, four in 10 Americans view Francis favorably.
The diverse political views of Hispanic Americans are reflected on several fronts in the current election campaign. For example, there are Hispanic American candidates in two of the most hotly contested races for the federal Senate.
U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat running in Arizona, is the son of immigrants from Colombia and Mexico. Bernie Moreno, a Republican candidate in Ohio, immigrated with his family from Colombia as a child.
Strong contrasts regarding abortion
Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), published an op-ed on Fox News this month saying that Democrats’ full support for abortion access could alienate some Hispanic Americans who are open to abortion restrictions later in pregnancy.
“The Democratic Party has now shifted dramatically to an ‘abortion on demand’ policy, which includes late-term abortions,” wrote Rodriguez, a pastor in California. “This extreme position deeply disturbs many Latinos, particularly those of faith.”
Meanwhile, in New Mexico, Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that construction is beginning on a state-funded abortion clinic that will serve local residents and people traveling from neighboring states like Texas and Oklahoma, which have sweeping abortion bans.
“This clinic will be a testament to our state’s commitment to reproductive freedom,” added Lujan Grisham.
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