impreMedia-Latino Decisions Weekly Tracking Poll Reveals Latino Voters Highly Engaged In Presidential Election, Support For Obama Rises

Latinos rank high in efforts to persuade others; active in voter registration

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The impreMedia-Latino Decisions tracking poll released results from the latest in the series revealing a high level of interest and engagement by Latino voters in the upcoming congressional and presidential elections.

“But our 9 weeks of polling indicate he has retained consistent support from Latino voters, and they are likely to be a decisive factor in his re-election effort.“”

More than three-fourths of all respondents said they have talked with friends or family members about candidates, issues or other election topics in the last few months. 45% have actively tried to persuade friends or family on their election decisions and among 45-65 year olds 59% said they engaged in this behavior. A surprisingly high percentage of Latinos are active registering others to vote or volunteering for political campaigns.

Those who said they were very enthusiastic about voting in the upcoming elections climbed from 51% last week to 56% this week.

“This week’s survey indicates that Latino voters are one of the most highly engaged groups in the election,” said Monica Lozano, CEO of impreMedia. “This has implications for both candidates, but is an especially positive force for President Obama who is still highly favored by Latinos.”

After a slight decline in last week’s poll, Obama’s support is back up near his previous high 3 weeks ago. When asked who they would vote for if the election were held today, a combined 71% of respondents were certain or likely to vote for Obama, compared to 67% last week and 72% and 73% in the two weeks previous to that. A combined 20% were certain or likely to vote for Romney, compared to 23% last week and 21% and 20% in the two weeks previous.

“Obama may have lost some ground nationally,” said Monica Lozano, of impreMedia. “But our 9 weeks of polling indicate he has retained consistent support from Latino voters, and they are likely to be a decisive factor in his re-election effort.“

Media Footnote: All References to the poll must be as follows: The impreMedia-Latino Decisions Tracking Poll. To view more data and information on this week’s poll visit:www.laopinion.com/section/voto.

Follow the impreMedia-Latino Decisions Tracking Poll results on twitter with #IMLDPOLLS

METHODOLOGY
This is the ninth release of an 11-week tracking poll of Latino registered voters. Each week impreMedia and Latino Decisions will release a new rolling cross- section of 300 completed interviews with Latino registered voters across all 50 states. Interviews are conducted in English or Spanish, at the preference of the respondent, all conducted by bilingual interviewers at Latino Decisions calling center, Pacific Market Research. The survey averaged 10 minutes in length, and has an overall margin of error of 5.6% on results that approach a 50/50 distribution. All respondents confirm that they are Hispanic or Latino and currently registered to vote. This third wave of the survey was fielded Oct 12-Oct 18, 2012

About impreMedia
impreMedia is the leading Hispanic news and information company in the U.S. in online and print. impreMedia's multi-platform offerings range from online to video, social media, mobile, audio, newspapers and magazines, including the http://www.impre.com portal. 25.5% of U.S. Hispanic adults use an impreMedia network product. The network is also the nation's largest Hispanic newspaper publisher with newspapers in top U.S. Hispanic markets, reaching 15 markets total that represent 59% of the U.S. Hispanic population. Its leading publications include La Opinión in Los Angeles and El Diario La Prensa in New York. For more information, visit: http://www.impremedia.com.

ImpreMedia portals and publication websites are: www.impre.com, www.laopinion.com, www.eldiariony.com, www.hoynyc.com, www.laraza.com, www.laprensafl.com, www.elmensajero.com, www.rumbotx.com, www.vistamagazine.com, www.contigola.com, and www.lavibra.com.

About Latino Decisions
Latino Decisions is a joint effort between Pacific Market Research, a nationally known research firm, and Dr. Gary Segura and Dr. Matt Barreto, leading Latino politics scholars and professors at Stanford University and the University of Washington. Both Dr. Segura and Dr. Barreto are experienced and nationally respected researchers who have a deep understanding of U.S. Latino culture and advanced quantitative research skills. Their expertise, coupled with Pacific Market Research’s logistical capabilities, makes Latino Decisions a leader in the field. For more information, please visit www.latinodecisions.com or call 877-271-2300.