CBS News/New York Times Hispanic Poll, July 2003

This special topic poll, conducted July 13-27, 2003, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. The focus of this data collection was to assess the opinions and responses of people identified as being of Hispanic origin or ancestry. Respondents were asked to assess the performance of United States President George W. Bush, his administration's foreign policy, his efforts toward creating employment opportunities in the United States, and his efforts toward increasing trade and providing assistance to Mexico and Latin America. Respondents were queried on political issues such as whether they preferred federal budget cuts or federal tax cuts, whether the United States should establish diplomatic and trade relations with Cuba, whether removing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from power was worth the effort, and whether they approved of affirmative action measures and programs that address past discrimination. Respondents were polled for their opinions on a variety of social issues, including how Hispanics are portrayed on television news and entertainment programs, the importance of preserving cultural traditions and values, moral and economic differences between generations, working and single mothers, labor unions, the Catholic Church, the importance of a political candidate's ability to speak Spanish in choosing whether to vote for that candidate, and the likelihood of experiencing discrimination. Background variables include age, country of ancestral origin, country of birth, education, employment status, ethnicity, first language spoken, household income, labor union membership status, language(s) spoken in the home, marital status, party affiliation, political ideology, religious orientation, residential status, sex, and voter registration status.