PHOENIX — Arizona Hispanics are perhaps the most sought-after target for both Democrats and Republicans. As a demographic group, they are about a third of the state’s population. Their median age of 28.6 years is significantly younger than the median age for non-Hispanic whites of 44.5 years.
A recently released poll from Univision provides a detailed voter profile of Arizona Hispanics.
Electorally, Hispanics still punch below their weight with an estimated 21% of the state’s registered voters. They split almost 60%/40% between those over 35 and under 35. Forty-two percent are registered as Democrats. Unaffiliated groups make up the second largest portion of voters at 41%. The report estimates a little over 600,000 Hispanics will eventually cast a vote in November.
The top issues that animate Arizona’s Hispanic electorate are not much different from their non-Hispanic peers. Nearly across the board, the most concerning issues for them are economic ones. Almost three in four say the cost of living is their most important issue with inflation coming in a close second. One big difference between Hispanics and non-Hispanics was where they placed affordable housing. It was the third-ranked issue for Hispanics while for non-Hispanics it would not have been in the top five.
Kathy Whitlock, who conducted the survey for Univision, attributes the difference to one simple factor - age.
“When you’re younger, you’re just starting a new job, or you have a job that’s not great, you’re making less money,” Whitlock said. “Hispanics across the board tend to have far more kids under 19 in the household than non-Hispanics. So, they’re really, really focused on making enough money. Making ends meet.”
In the presidential election, Hispanics support Vice President Kamala Harris over former president Donald Trump by a margin of 20 points putting this poll squarely in line with exit polls from 2020.
Univision did find that Hispanics were more likely than non-Hispanics to be cross-over voters. About 49%, just under half, said they could switch their vote from party to party depending on the candidate. For non-Hispanics, that number was 36%.
