Job Protection is Top Priority for U.S. Latinos: Report

U.S. Latinos aren't so different from other Americans after all -- or at least that's to be surmised from the their preferences on U.S. foreign policy, a new study finds.

According to a new report released by the new Chicago Council, Latinos share a similar worldview with the rest of the nation. The new data effectively debunks that theory that the budding Latino demographic has different priorities than the general public. Conservatives have quivered with fear, dreading a possible Latino takeover, believing that Latinos' differences in experience would lead to them unseating clear-cut American values. However, that's not necessarily the case. For instance, Latinos and non-Latinos are totally in support of protecting American jobs.

Overall, Latinos recognize job protection, U.S. leadership abroad, the elimination of terrorism as a critical threat (nuclear proliferation, Iran's nuclear program and cyber-attacks), and support of U.S. military superiority (humanitarian purposes, combat terrorism and prevention of nuclear weapon) as a priority. Now, and 10 years from now, Latinos and the mainstream recognize the power of U.S. leadership in the world market.

That said, there are a few key differences expressed through the polling, like immigration. The results to this study were released just one week after the release of national and local news regarding immigration reform, where budget crisis in Illinois and injunctions in Texas challenged the installation of President Barack Obama's executive action.

According to Pew Research, half of Latino adults are born outside of the U.S. Because of this, Latinos are 20 percent more likely than non-Latinos to endorse "large numbers of immigrants and refugees entering the United States." They're also 26 percent less likely to say that "controlling and reducing illegal immigration" is a priority in the U.S.

Eighty-one percent of Latinos, compared to 41 percent of non-Latinos, approve of executive action, which would better serve the population of undocumented immigrants eligible for deferred action and employment authorization. That said, immigration isn't the only topic where Latinos' views differ from the U.S. mainstream.

Climate change and the United Nations are also pressing topics to Latinos. Fifty-four percent of Hispanic Americans (compared to 32 percent of non-Hispanic white) consider climate change to be a critical threat to U.S. interests. Fifty-four percent Hispanics believe that the government could be doing more to counter act climate change, and 55 percent are more likely to support expanding the federal budget in favor of environmental protection, compared to 41 percent of Hispanics. Also, compared to 40 percent of non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics are more likely to report that climate change restraint is an extremely important goal. Personal experiences play a role. Latinos tend to live closer to toxic waste sites, landfills and power plants, and the community is often hard-hit by natural disasters prompted by climate change. Also, Latinos happen to be closely connected to family members living in nations that are frequently devastated by natural disasters.

The United Nations are viewed favorably by U.S. Latinos, compared to other Americans. According the research, 79 percent of Latinos compared to 62 percent of non-Latinos see strengthening ties with the United Nations as a way to achieve U.S. foreign policy goals. Latinos are also more inclined to believe that strengthening the U.N. is a "very important foreign policy goal." When dealing with international problems, 64 percent of Hispanics believe the U.S. should be more willing to make decisions within the guidelines of the U.N., even if that means ignoring first choice protocol. Both Latinos and non-Latinos applaud the U.N. for efforts to protect cultural heritage, to act as peacekeeper in conflict zones, leading efforts to tackle hunger and support refugees, but Latinos in particular (60 percent) believe that the U.N. is doing a good job on every dimension, including use of forces to impose sanctions on nations that violate international law.

The U.N. is also credited for the restoration of international peace and security and the prevention of nuclear proliferations. According to other reports, experts have investigated why Latinos have a more approving view of the U.N. Some pointed to the Spanish-language media they consume, which tends to focus more on international coverage, rather than traditional American coverage. Also, the U.N. has long been popular in Latin America. And Latinos who emigrate to the U.S. tend to bring that attitude with them, and they pass that along to their children.

Nonetheless, Latino thoughts tend to align with the mainstream, particularly concerning protecting American jobs. And where Latinos stray, they focus on environmental and humanitarian issues as well as goals of globalization, free trade, defending allies' security, maintaining existing alliances and building new alliances. And federal budgets reserved for special programs, such as health care, education, welfare and social security are important to the population.

But Latinos vary in foreign policy opinion, based on subgroups, national origin, political identification, political leaning, gender, sexuality, legal status, language preferences, education, generation, age and connection to social media. In this particular study, individuals of Mexican origin represented 62 percent of the Latino respondents. Forty-two percent of the Latino population identified as Democratic, and 36 percent identify as moderate. And nearly two-thirds of respondents were under the age of 44. Three-in-10 stated they were under the age of 30. The proportion of the study reflects the youthfulness of the Latino demographic.