Continued Hispanic immigration -- as well as a high birthrate among Hispanic Americans -- promises to keep this minority group booming in the coming decades. But there will be certainly be growing pains along the way: 40% of Hispanic Americans say they worry "all" or "most" of the time that their families' incomes will not be enough to meet expenses.
What should the government's role be in helping Hispanics and other minorities prosper in mainstream American society? An aggregate of 2004 and 2005 data from Gallup's annual Minority Relations poll* allows for in-depth analysis of Hispanic Americans' views on this sensitive question.
Government Role in Social and Economic Position of Minorities
Hispanic Americans tend to agree that the government should play a significant role in the social and economic position of minorities in the United States. Nearly two-thirds (65%) say the government should have a major role in "trying to improve the social and economic position of blacks and other minority groups in this country." Twenty-one percent feel the government should play only a minor role, and 9% think it should not have any role at all.
Hispanics' views on this topic are quite different from those of the U.S. population overall. While a majority of Hispanics believe the government should play a major role in advancing the social and economic position of minorities, the results for the entire spectrum of racial and ethnic groups in the United States show that only 38% of all Americans share this belief. A larger proportion of the U.S. population (44%) feels the government should play only a minor role, and 16% think it should not have any role at all.
Birthplace has a notable effect on Hispanic Americans' opinions regarding the government's role in minority affairs. More than four in five of those born outside the United States (82%) believe the government should play a major role in improving the social and economic position of blacks and other minorities, compared with 50% of those born in the United States.
*These results are based on an aggregated sample of 1,007 Hispanic adults, aged 18 and older, from telephone interviews conducted June 9-30, 2004, and June 6-25, 2005. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±4 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
