WASHINGTON - Hispanic voters are not loyal to one party, and their views on hot-button issues don't fit traditional conservative or liberal political labels, according to a nationwide survey released yesterday. The findings by the non-partisan Pew Hispanic Center and the Kaiser Family Foundation are sure to baffle and confound Democratic and Republican political strategists who have been aggressively courting Hispanic voters since the 2000 presidential campaign.
Although Hispanics make up just 5 percent of all voters, they are seen by both major parties as key swing voters in next month's crucial midterm elections, which will determine control of the House and Senate.
The survey found that about 40 percent of Hispanic voters see no difference between Republicans and Democrats when asked which party has more concern for Hispanics.
"At a time of very sharp political divisions, (Hispanic voters) are not ideologically committed to either of the major parties," said Roberto Suro, director of the Pew Hispanic Center.
Still, Hispanics, in keeping with historic trends, hold a higher opinion of Democrats than Republicans, the survey found. Fifty-three percent, for instance, said they had more confidence in Democrats than Republicans - 27 percent - when asked which party deals better with the economy. But the Democratic advantage disappeared when Hispanics were asked to compare President Bush with Democrats on the same topic. About 42 percent expressed confidence in Bush, while 43 percent favored Democrats.
"The Bush factor is quite potent," Suro said.
Crafting the right kind of message to reach Hispanics will pose a challenge because of misconceptions about their views on such issues as taxes, the size of government and abortion, said Mollyann Brodie, director of Public Opinion and Media Research for the Kaiser Family Foundation.
She said the survey found that 55 percent of Hispanics favor higher taxes to support a larger government, but 69 percent oppose abortion. Most conservatives want to lower taxes and reduce the size of government, and they oppose abortion. Most liberals tend to support the opposite views. "The idea of a single Latino view is irrelevant," Brodie said.
She said Hispanics listed education, the economy and health care as their top issues...