EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Launched in 2021, the Colorado Latino Agenda (CLA) is a statewide public research initiative co-led by Voces Unidas and Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) that publishes relevant and timely in-depth reports about Latinas and Latinos in Colorado.
The Colorado Latino Policy Agenda (CLPA) is our annual, nonpartisan report designed to provide insights into the demographic makeup and views of Latino voters in Colorado on pressing policy, political, and social issues.
The 2024 CLPA is informed by a statewide poll of 1,600 Latino registered voters, which provides a representative, nonpartisan snapshot of views of the second-largest and second fastest-growing ethnic voting bloc in the state. Polling was commissioned by Voces Unidas and COLOR and is part of an ongoing effort to inform public policy outcomes with the voice of the Latino community in the state. As the fourth annual state-wide policy poll, the data provide both a comprehensive view of the current state of Latinos in Colorado and noteworthy trends over time.
This report summarizes the main findings and policy preferences, offering a valuable, ongoing look at the priorities of Latino voters in Colorado at the statewide, regional, and congressional district levels.
As has been the case since our first CLPA in 2021, Latino voters’ top priorities this year continue to be dominated by economic concerns, likely influenced by the period of severe economic challenges, including rising prices for goods and services, that continue to impact the state. Colorado has also experienced significant increases in housing costs, with rent and home purchasing prices outpacing wages as the population growth in the state continues to outpace national averages.
Although the survey suggests that the economic wellbeing of Latino households in some parts of Colorado
is starting to show signs of improvement, four of the top five most important issues impacting Latino voters at both the national and state levels focused on economic concerns. Economic priorities were major concerns in last year’s survey as well, with “addressing the rising cost of living and inflation” and “improving wages and income” topping the list of most important issues at both the national and state levels, and concerns over healthcare costs landing fourth on both lists. “Creating affordable and attainable housing” rose from the No. 6 position on both lists last year to the fourth- and third-most important issues, respectively, for federal and state officials to address in 2024.
Nearly a third (30%) of Latinos this year say they have not seen any improvement in their financial situations over the past year while just over a third (35%) report their financial situations have grown worse since 2023. Those numbers are nearly identical to last year’s survey, suggesting that the financial picture for Latinos statewide remains muddied as inflation continues to outpace income levels of the community.
The sense of economic stagnation was reflected in the polling numbers at the state level, where almost half (47%) of respondents listed “addressing the cost of living/inflation” as the top priority for the Governor and State Legislature to address. This represents an increase of 7% on both the state (from 40% in 2023) and national (from 35% in 2023 to 42% this year) priority lists. “Improving wages and income” landed second at 37% on the state priority list and 35% on the national list, while “creating affordable and attainable housing” ranked slightly higher as a priority for state policymakers (24%) than federal (20%), suggesting Latinos are looking for more effective housing policies. In our 2023 survey, an overwhelming 85% of Latino registered voters said that “cities and towns should be required to build more affordable housing near jobs, schools, and public services.” This year, Latino voters
KEY FINDINGS
TOP 4
Economic concerns topped 4 of the top 5 most important issues impacting Latino voters at both the national and state levels
#3 Creating affordable and attainable housing rose from the #6 position last year to the third-mostimportant issue for state officials to address.
65% The economic situation of 65% of Latinos have either not improved (30%) or have grown worse (35%) since 2023.
4 TH Homelessness emerged as a critical priority at the state level in 2024, ranking fourth on the priority list.
continue to express strong desire to see the state take more action on affordable housing, with only 39% of the Latino electorate saying the state has been effective in addressing the issue in their community, and as few as 21% of residents in CD-5.
Relatedly, “homelessness” emerged as a critical priority at the state level in 2024, ranking fourth on the priority list alongside “lowering healthcare costs” at 23%. Despite its high ranking among state priorities, “homelessness” was not cited among the 21 top priorities listed at the federal level, suggesting that Latinos believe it is an issue that state government should address.
“Lowering healthcare costs,” on the other hand, ranked almost evenly among the most important issues that the President and Congress should address (22%) and those that the Governor and State Legislature should address (23%), suggesting that Latino voters believe a two-pronged approach will be needed to relieve the significant burden the rising cost of healthcare is placing on the Latino community. With
“expand and protect reproductive health/abortion rights” also ranking among the most important issues at both the national (No. 10) and state (No. 8) levels, this year’s survey focused heavily on Latino’s experiences with the healthcare system, including reproductive health access, which is discussed in detail later in this report.
The only non-economic issue within the top five priority issues at the national level is “addressing gun violence and mass shootings” at 18%, down slightly from 2023 when this policy issue was third among all policy issues, but remaining among the top five national priority issues for the third consecutive year. Listed sixth at 17%, “addressing gun violence and mass shootings” ranked slightly lower at the state level in 2024, but remains a top concern among Latinos in Colorado.
Among demographic subgroups in the state, Latinos under 30 are more likely to prioritize the issue of addressing gun violence than older Latinos. Addressing the issue is highest in CD-2 (22%), but there are very similar percentages across all congressional districts in the state. Latinos in CD-1, CD-2, and CD-8 all ranked gun violence as one of their top 5 concerns at the federal level.
Immigration policy has also emerged as an important theme in the current election cycle. At the federal level, “protecting immigrant rights/immigration reform” landed as the sixth-most important issue at 17%, while “increasing border security/limiting immigration” tied for seventh, at 13%. Combined, nearly a third of Colorado’s Latino voters consider immigration issues a top federal priority in 2024.
Latinos in Colorado place high value on environmental resources, although environmental justice disparities continue to take a toll on their ability to share them equitably. Voters expressed overwhelming support for rectifying some of those injustices legislatively, including 79% support for creating a new state fund to help address poor quality water access for residents in mobile home parks. An
even greater majority (85%) voiced support for state legislation designed to protect outdoor workers from extreme heat and cold in Colorado.
The Latino electorate has had significant influence in recent federal and state elections and continues to outpace other racial groups in growth in eligible voter population in Colorado. However, the 2024 survey reinforces findings from the previous three years that mobilization and outreach is not where it should be to see Latino voter turnout reach its full potential. According to this year’s survey, nearly half of Latinos (44%) have not yet been contacted by anyone about registering or voting, with “friends, family and coworkers” credited for outreach to those who have.
The annual CLPA is designed to be of high value to community leaders and elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels. Policymakers can look to these findings to more directly engage the Latino community in policy decisions, as the research makes clear that Latinos desire to be more involved in public policy and political discussions, but often feel that their views and voices are excluded from the decision-making process. The 2024 Colorado Latino Policy Agenda offers an opportunity to explore areas of agreement and work together to design and deliver appropriate and timely policy solutions for the state’s growing Latino population.
RECOMMENDED POLICY ACTIONS
The following issues received support from at least 65% of respondents in our 2024 survey.
We are highlighting these popular policy preferences to encourage action from communities and policymakers.
Top Policy Preferences of Latinos in 2024
(Any policy proposal with 65% or higher in support or opposition)
Policy priorities for federal officials
Increasing legal immigration through family and employment-based visas
Increasing the number of immigration judges to shorten case processing times
Providing asylum to immigrants fleeing violence or war in their home countries
Immediately deport immigrants with a criminal record
Changing the constitution to deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. if their parents are not U.S. citizens
Separating families at the border
Policy priorities for state and local officials
Regulations to protect outdoor workers from extreme heat and cold
Creating a new state fund to address poor water quality in mobile home parks
Support access to reproductive healthcare for everyone, regardless of their immigration status
Require all emergency notifications to be sent in Spanish and other languages
Create a Language Justice Office, which would require state agencies to deliver services in Spanish and other languages
Improve protections to prevent discrimination of Latinos when accessing public services with county governments that pass anti-sanctuary resolutions
Support insurance and government plans like Medicaid to pay for safe and legal abortions, just like other health services
School districts banning immigration enforcement agencies from campus, to help immigrant students and their families feel safer
POLLING SUMMARY
ABOUT THE POLL
On behalf of Voces Unidas and COLOR, BSP
Research fielded a nonpartisan statewide poll of 1,600 (N= 1,600 +/- 2.4%) Latino registered voters in Colorado focused on their issue priorities, policy preferences, and political values. The poll had respondents from every region and congressional district in the state to explore variation across districts and regions. The poll included an oversample of Latino voters who reside in CD-8 (n=350), the district with the largest Latino population in Colorado.
The poll, fielded July 5 - Aug. 5, 2024, was implemented through a blended approach including web-based (n=1,016) and telephone interviews (n=584) that include both landlines and cell phones. The poll was fielded in English or Spanish, depending on respondents’ preference, with a total of 339
RESPONSES BY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
CD1 N=239
CD2 N=165
CD3 N=370
CD4 N=114
CD5 N=115
CD6 N=117
COUNTIES IN EACH REGION
West:
• Alamsa
• Archuleta
• Chaffee
• Clear Creek
• Conejos
• Costilla
• Custer
• Delta
• Dolores
• Eagle
• Fremont
• Garfield
• Gilpin
• Grand
• Gunnison
• Hinsdale
• Jackson
• Lake
• La Plata
• Mesa
• Mineral
• Moffat
• Montezuma
• Montrose
• Ouray
• Park
• Pitkin
surveys conducted in Spanish. Data was compared to the best-known estimates of the U.S. Census Current Population Survey (CPS) for demographic profile of Colorado adults and post-stratification weights were applied to bring the data into direct balance with Census estimates.
The poll was led by Dr. Gabriel Sanchez and Dr. Matt Barreto from BSP Research, LLC, a national firm with 20-plus years of helping community-based organizations research a diversifying United States.
This report also makes references to the 2021, 2022, and 2023 results of the CLPA polls conducted by BSP Research to explore potential differences or similarities in outcomes over the past years. Previous years’ reports can be found online at ColoradoLatinoPolicyAgenda.org.
CD7 N=126
CD8 N=354
• Rio Blanco
• Rio Grande
• Routt
• Saguache
• San Juan
• San Miguel
• Summit
• Teller
RESPONSES BY REGION
N=321
N=286
N=272
Denver-Metro:
• Adams
• Arapahoe
Southeast:
• Baca
• Bent
• Cheyenne
• Crowley
• Douglas
• Denver
• Jefferson
• Elbert
• El Paso
• Huerfano
• Kiowa
• Kit Carson
• Las Animas • Lincoln • Otero • Prowers • Pueblo
Northeast:
• Boulder
• Broomfield
• Larimer
• Logan
• Morgan
• Phillips
• Sedgwick
• Washington
• Weld
• Yuma
ISSUE PRIORITIES OF LATINO VOTERS IN COLORADO
A primary goal of the annual report is to provide data to inform a policy agenda reflective of the views and diversity of the Colorado Latino community and for policymakers to know what their Latino constituents would like them to prioritize.
Participants were asked to identify up to three of the most important issues facing the Latino community in two separate questions. One focused on priority issues that Congress and the President should address. The other focused on priority issues that Colorado’s Governor and State Legislature should address. Because respondents were able to select multiple issue priorities, the percentages do not add up to 100.
As shown in the figure at right, economic issues are once again the biggest concerns for the Latino community in Colorado in 2024. Four of the top five federal priorities are related to the economy and addressing economic challenges, led by “addressing the rising cost of living and inflation” for the third year in a row. Some 42% of survey respondents cited the cost of living/inflation as the most important issue for Congress and the President to address, while “improving wages and income” (35%) ranks second for the second consecutive year.
In line with Latino voters’ concerns nationally, the rising cost of healthcare continues to concern Latinos in Colorado, with 22% choosing “lowering the cost of healthcare” as a top federal policy priority, ranking it third overall. Rounding out the economic priorities is “creating affordable and attainable housing,” which was chosen by one of every five (20%) Latino voters in the poll.
“Addressing gun violence and mass shootings” (18%) also remains a priority for Latino voters, although slipping to the fifth most-important issue for federal officials to address from the third spot (22%) in 2023. Ranking sixth in 2024, “protecting immigrant rights/ immigration reform” (17%) rose significantly on the list of priorities from 2023, where it ranked ninth (13%).
Most Important Issues Facing the Latino Community in 2024
Top 10 federal priorities
Addressing the rising cost of living / Inflation
Improving wages and income
Lowering healthcare costs
Creating affordable and attainable housing
Addressing gun violence and mass shootings
Protecting immigrant rights /immigration reform
Reducing government spending
Increasing border security/ limiting immigration
Increasing access to mental healthcare
Expand and protect reproductive health/abortion rights
Addressing the rising cost of living / Inflation
Improving wages and income
Creating affordable and attainable housing
Homelessness
Lowering healthcare costs
Addressing gun violence and mass shootings
Reducing government spending
Expand and protect reproductive health/abortion rights
Education
Top 10 state priorities *Respondents
and “expand and protect reproductive health/abortion rights” (12%) also rank among the most important issues facing Latinos for the President and Congress to address.
As seen in Figure 2, there is significant overlap in top policy priorities for Latino voters at the state and federal levels, and a few notable differences. The top two issues — “addressing the cost of living” and “improving wages and income” — are identical in both questions. “Creating affordable and attainable housing” (24%) rounds out the top-three priorities for the Governor and State Legislature to address, moving up three positions and 5 percentage points from 2023.
Additionally, “homelessness” emerged as a critical priority at the state level for 23% of Latino voters. Its absence among the top priorities at the national level reflects the view of Latino voters that addressing the issue is within the jurisdiction of state policymakers. “Lowering healthcare costs” (23%) rounds out the top five state level policy priorities of Latinos in Colorado, followed by “addressing gun violence and mass shootings” (17%), “reducing government spending” (12%), “expand and protect reproductive health and abortion rights” (11%), and “education” (11%) ranking among the top 10.
POLICY PREFERENCES OF LATINO
IN COLORADO
The statewide poll provides a comprehensive overview of the policy preferences and attitudes of Latino voters throughout Colorado, offering policymakers, community leaders and issue-advocates a clear sense of the policy priorities identified by the Latino community (see figure 2).
ECONOMY
Inflation has been the dominant economic theme for the past two years, and 2024 is no different. While the poll suggests that the state’s economy continues to improve, significant financial hardships remain for a sizable portion of the Latino population, often defined by regional differences.
Although this year’s poll did not include specific economic proposals, the importance of economic policy to the Latino community is apparent when the policy priorities of Latinos in 2024 are compared alongside those from the last year’s report. Despite recent strides toward curbing inflation, Latinos are still feeling the economic pinch of the rising cost of living, with 42% of registered voters citing inflation as their highest federal policy priority, up slightly from 2023 (38%), and 47% citing it as the highest state policy priority, an increase of 7% from last year. “Improving wages and income” also saw measurable increases
VOTERS
of up to 7 percentage points year over year, ranking as the second-highest federal and state policy priorities among Latino voters surveyed for the second consecutive year.
The continued salience of economic issues to the Latino electorate in Colorado suggests that wages of Latino voters have failed to keep pace with inflation in recent years as many continue to struggle to keep up with the rising cost of housing and the cost of living more broadly. When asked how their personal finances are currently doing, 35% of Latinos note their personal financial situation has improved over the past 12 months. This is nearly identical to the 34% who believe it has become worse. Both numbers remain similar to last year’s poll, suggesting that the financial picture for Latinos in Colorado has not improved much over the past year.
The economic vulnerability of the Latino community in Colorado may be best illustrated by the very limited safety net most Latinos have access to right now for emergencies. An alarming majority (56%) of Latinos across the state report having $1,000 or less in their savings, including 27% who have less than $100 to lean on in case of an emergency. While those numbers show improvement over 2023, they were nearly identical in 2022.
Polling shows clear regional and demographic differences present in the economic well-being of Latinos around the state. While economic factors were top concerns for Latinos regardless of Congressional District, nearly half the respondents (47%) in CD-4 and CD-5 cited “addressing the cost of living” as a main concern. The same could be seen regionally, where 47% of Latinos polled in Northeast Colorado prioritized inflation, the most in any region. At 45%, Latino voters in the West region were most likely to cite “improving wages and income” as a priority.
Those whose financial situation has grown worse over the past 12 months are more likely to live in Congressional Districts 1 and 7 (41% in both districts). Conversely, half of the respondents in CD-2 state that their situation has improved over the past year, compared to only 26% who reported their situation had become worse, the lowest percentage in any district (See figure 3).
The results also demonstrate important differences between rural and urban communities of Colorado. Of the respondents from urban areas, 37% reported their situation has worsened in the past 12 months, while only 28% of rural respondents said the same. Among both groups, those making less than $39,000 have experienced the greatest collective downturn, accounting for 53% of Latinos surveyed in urban areas and 41% in rural areas. Notably, 47% of Latino voters born outside the U.S. in urban areas reported that their financial situation has improved over the last 12 months, suggesting that Latino immigrants are doing better in Colorado’s urban communities.*
HOUSING/HOMELESSNESS
Latino voters continue to express their belief that policymakers have not been aggressive enough in addressing Colorado’s ongoing housing challenges, emphasizing that point by elevating the need for affordable housing on their list of priorities. Ranking third on the state priority list and fourth on the national list, the issue has steadily increased in importance
Financial Situation
Over the past 12 months, would you say that your financial situation has generally gotten:
That number dips as low as 21% among residents who live in CD-5 and 29% in CD-7, while no Congressional District in the state shows a majority of Latino residents rating elected officials as effective at addressing the issue. As home prices continue to rise and availability remains scarce, accessible affordable
Affordable
Housing
How effective have government and elected officials been at addressing affordable housing in your community?
rank the issue higher than any other region in the state. Measured by Congressional District, Latino voters in CD-1, including Denver, rank the issue highest (29%), followed by the sprawling CD-3 at 28%.
Homelessness is of particular concern to the 27% of Latinos surveyed who earn less than $40,000 a year, with one in three citing it as a top concern. Among these individuals, homelessness was the third top issue overall.
IMMIGRATION
U.S. immigration and border enforcement policy has been a hot button issue throughout the current presidential cycle and the significance of the policy theme continues to increase in this election year. The 2024 poll confirmed that immigration policy is a top priority for Latino voters in Colorado, who strongly support humane and common-sense minded immigration policies over more authoritarian approaches to enforcement like mass deportation of undocumented immigrants and their families.
President Biden on Immigration
Please indicate if you agree or disagree with the following:
Strongly agree Somewhat agree
“protecting immigrant rights/immigration reform” should be a top priority and 13% saying federal officials should “increase border security/limit immigration.” Multiple trends have emerged as a result. Among them, protecting immigrant’s rights and immigration reform registers as a higher priority among Latino voters born outside the U.S. (22%), Democrats (22%), and younger Latinos (22%) relative to their counterparts.
In 2023, nearly three-fourths of Latino voters expressed support for President Joe Biden to take executive action to provide work permits to undocumented immigrants to live and work in the U.S. without fear of deportation. Although the ensuing executive order protected only a portion of those immigrants, the same number (72%) of voters polled in 2024 – regardless of political party – support Biden’s executive order that expedites work visas for DACA holders and Dreamers who have a college degree and a job offer. Nearly as many (68%) agree with Biden’s executive order making it easier for some undocumented spouses of
President Biden's most recent Executive Order making it easier for some undocumented spouses of U.S. Citizens to legalize their status Total Agree: 72% Total Disagree: 20%
President Biden's most recent Executive Order that expedite work visas for DACA holders and Dreamers who have a college degree and a job offer
Immigration Policy
When it comes to immigration, please indicate if you agree or disagree with the following:
who said they strongly agree.
The 2024 Latino electorate also shows strong support for asylum and family reunification approaches to evaluating immigrants applying for U.S. visas. Specifically, 75% of Latinos support increasing legal immigration through family and employment-based visas (especially in CD-5 and CD-6, at 82%), and 68% support providing asylum to immigrants fleeing
the highest percentage of Latino voters in the state, showed the strongest support for asylum at 75%. The rural/urban divide over these policy prescriptions is also noteworthy, with urban respondents showing 5% more support for asylum and 7% more for employment-based visas than rural Latinos. Across all demographic subgroups, support for asylum is greater than 60%, regardless of political affiliation.
Forcing Mexico and other countries to use their military to stop large numbers of immigrants from reaching the U.S./Mexico border
Total Agree: 34% Total Disagree: 59%
Making
Shifting focus to Colorado’s long-term immigrants, Latino voters remain supportive of ensuring all residents of Colorado, including those who lack citizenship status, have access to government resources. More than three-fourths (77%) of Latino voters support providing access to reproductive healthcare to all state residents, regardless of their immigration status, and a 60% majority believe more legal protections and funding should be provided to support long-term undocumented residents in the state. Support for both policies is particularly high in CD-2 (+9% and +6%), and among immigrants, 78% of whom agree that more legal protections and funding should be made available to long-term undocumented residents in the state.
Polling is less conclusive on approaches on border security and enforcement policy. For example, a modest majority of 54% of Latinos in the poll oppose the idea of building a 2,000-mile wall across the length of the U.S. border with Mexico. Another 38% support building the border wall, primarily Republicans (72%) and men (56%). Meanwhile, 75% of Colorado Latinos oppose separation of families at the border — 61% “strongly” oppose — while 20% expressed support for this controversial approach to increase enforcement.
Latinos show mixed support (47%) for “forcing Mexico and other countries to use their military to stop large numbers of immigrants from reaching the U.S./Mexico border,” although that support still fails to reach the 50% threshold. A significant majority (72%) of Latinos polled support the more practical policy of increasing the number of immigration judges to shorten case processing times.
Partisanship is the strongest determining factor across all the immigration policies aimed at securing the U.S./Mexico border in the 2024 poll. Latino Democrats were much less likely to support any of the aforementioned approaches to border enforcement than Republicans in the poll, with independent voters generally falling in the middle. Latino voters born
outside the U.S. were also more likely to oppose these border enforcement actions, along with Latinas and younger voters.
Broadening the scope of immigration policy, many states across the country have considered laws that would penalize American citizens who knowingly help undocumented immigrants living in the country. Colorado’s Latino voters have clearly signaled they do not support this policy approach, as only 34% support making travel with undocumented people across state lines a criminal offense. Opposition to this policy is highest among women, Latino Catholics, and voters from rural counties across the state.
The 2024 poll tested other policies suggested in the conservative Project 2025 proposal with potential to impact immigrants, including mass deportations of all undocumented citizens and changing the U.S. Constitution to deny citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants born in the U.S. Two out of three Latinos (66%) oppose changing the Constitution to deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. if their parents are not U.S. citizens, with 50% registering “strong” opposition. There is also high opposition (59%) to mass deportation of all undocumented immigrants living in the US. However, there is strong support (68%) for immediate deportation of undocumented immigrants with a criminal record. Latino men (70%) and Latinos over age 50 (72%) are particularly supportive of the policy.
A slim majority (51%) of Latino voters polled support changing state law to remove the ability of Colorado Sheriffs to hold people for up to six additional hours to allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to arrive at release time. Only 36% oppose such a change, while the remaining 13% are unsure of their position. Voters in Spanish-speaking households (60%) and Latino men (60%) were the most supportive of the measure, compared to just 37% support in English-speaking households and 42% support among Latinas.
Abortion Ballot Question
Shall there be a change to the Colorado constitution recognizing the right to abortion, and, in connection therewith, prohibiting the state and local governments from denying, impeding, or discriminating against the exercise of that right, allowing abortion to be a covered service under health insurance plans for Colorado state and local government employees and for enrollees in state and local governmental insurance programs?
JUSTICE
The high cost of healthcare is a recurring theme among the top concerns of Latino voters, joined by “protection of reproductive health” near the top of the list again this year.
More than 60% of Latino voters surveyed support a ballot initiative that would change the Colorado Constitution to recognize the right to an abortion, prohibit the state or local governments from denying or impeding the right to an abortion and allow abortion to be a covered service under health insurance plans. Of the 61% of supporters, 42% strongly support the reform, with the highest support (63%) found in the Denver-Metro region.
Consistent with last year’s survey, Latinos remain supportive of using government-funded insurance plans to cover reproductive health. More specifically, 68% of Latinos support allowing insurance and government plans including Medicaid to pay for safe and legal abortions, thereby addressing the inequality facing low-income residents who otherwise may not be able to afford the procedure. Support is especially high from young adults ages 18-29 (74%), Democrats (76%) and Latinos who live in the Denver-Metro area (73%). More than half (58%) of independent voters
Barriers to Abortion Access
Low-income people may not be able to afford safe and legal abortion because it is not covered under Medicaid. Do you support insurance and government plans like Medicaid to pay for safe and legal abortions, just like other health services?
If you were to need an abortion, which of the following might prevent you from accessing that care?
Funds/money
Emotional support
Trust/confidence in provider
Time off from work
Transportation
35% of Latino Republicans support using governmentfunded insurance plans to cover reproductive health.
At 45%, “lack of money to pay for the procedure” was the most commonly identified obstacle to abortion access cited by Latinas in the 2024 poll, followed by “lack of emotional support” (27%) and “lack of trust or confidence in a medical provider” (25%). Fewer than half (41%) of the uninsured Latinas polled statewide are confident they would know where to get services or financial support if they needed an abortion, and
just 31% on the Western Slope. Allowing governmentfunded health insurance plans to pay for abortions could directly address that financial concern and provide guidance toward addressing the others.
Health insurance is a primary driver for wider access to healthcare, and findings from the 2024 poll suggest that 7% of registered Latino voters in Colorado currently lack health insurance coverage. The lack of health insurance is higher among young adults 18-29 (11%) and those who have been in Colorado less than 10 years (12%). A large proportion (41%) of Latinos surveyed are currently enrolled in Medicaid, slightly more than those who are insured through an employer (39%). Among those Latino voters accessing healthcare through Medicaid, a substantial 61% support reforming the Medicaid application process to have a state office review and approve applications, instead of the current system, which allows individual counties to decide. Support is especially strong on the Western slope at 67%, in CD-2 (69%) and CD-8 (68%).
As part of the unwinding process of COVID-19 emergency protocols, the federal government ceased automatic renewals in Medicaid in 2023. Notably, 25% of the Latinos surveyed this year (41% in CD-8) reported that they or someone within their household had been dropped from the Medicaid program over the last two years, likely due to the change.
Latinos who are covered through Medicaid are more likely to report that their health insurance does not cover their full range of health expenses, although nearly a quarter (24%) of Latinos statewide report that their insurance only covers a little or almost none of their medical expenses. The majority of Latinos with coverage report that their insurance covers most (40%) or all (37%) of their health expenses, yet they remain frustrated by the cost.
EDUCATION
Education policy ranked eighth among policy priorities for Latino registered voters at the state level, and is of particular concern for Latino parents. The
2023 poll revealed significant voter concerns over the quality of education in Colorado schools, this year’s poll draws attention to specific policy interventions and the need to make schools safer for Latino students and their classmates.
Violence in schools has long been a challenge in Colorado, and addressing the challenge carries its own set of complexities. Polling suggests that policymakers should consider the circumstances and needs of Latino students with a degree of caution before taking steps to address this important issue with interventions that may negatively impact them. Recognizing that Latino students are frequently targeted or accused of wrongdoing more often than their peers, for example, 55% of Latino voters oppose random backpack searches by school administrators.
There is mixed support (44%) for placing police officers or School Resource Officers in schools if Latino students are disciplined and punished more than white students, with a modest plurality of 47% of Latino voters opposed to the policy, 30% of whom are “strongly opposed.” Support for placing more officers
Feeling Safe at School
Do you support or oppose school districts banning immigration enforcement agencies from campus, to help immigrant students and their families feel safer?
FIGURE 9
drops to 35% in the more rural Northeast region and 38% on the Western Slope.
A convincing majority (65%) of the Latino electorate does support school districts banning immigration enforcement agencies from school campuses to help immigrant students and their families feel safer, with 40% strongly supporting the policy. While the policy is popular statewide, it is particularly so in the Western region (70%) and in the Denver-Metro region (69%). Latino parents are more supportive of banning immigration agencies from school campuses (68%) than Latinos without kids (61%), as are voters born outside the U.S. (74%) and Spanish-speaking households (78%).
DISCRIMINATION/RACIAL JUSTICE
Discrimination can occur in many forms, and over the past year it emerged in the form of “anti-sanctuary resolutions” approved by several municipalities around the state. In response to those resolutions, a 70% majority of Latino voters are in favor of improving protections to prevent discrimination of Latinos when accessing public services with county governments that pass such anti-sanctuary resolutions. Support for improving protections is highest in the Denver-Metro region at 74%, but support is 60% or higher across all regions of the state.
With the majority of Latino voters (66%) in the poll speaking Spanish in their homes at least weekly and 43% reporting they do so every day, language access barriers have emerged as another racial justice component that has gone overlooked for too long. Nearly three-fourths (74%) of Latino voters support the creation of a language justice office that would work to ensure that all state departments deliver services in Spanish and other languages. A similarly high percentage of the Latino electorate (75%) supports a requirement that all emergency notifications be sent out by local and state governments in languages other than English, including Spanish. Support for both items is particularly high among voters born outside the U.S. (89%) and those in Spanish-speaking households (85%).
CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
Despite the overall quality of its natural resources, Colorado continues to suffer from environmental justice inequities primarily impacting lower-income communities. That reality is most apparent when it comes to access to clean and safe drinking water, where fewer than half (46%) of Latino voters who earn less than $40,000 a year rate their water as “good” or “excellent,” compared to 71% of those making $80,000 or more.
As we have seen in previous years’ polling, lowincome residents of mobile home parks often suffer from the lowest water quality, leading to creation of the Mobile Home Park Water Quality Act signed into law in 2023. In 2024, 79% of Latinos polled supported creating a new state fund to help address poor quality-water access for residents in mobile home parks. This proposed policy saw high support from both Democrats and Republicans in every region and congressional district in the state.
The majority of the Latino electorate (57%) believes the air quality in their community is either average (34%), good (21%), or excellent (21%), although residents of the West region are much more satisfied
Total Support: 70%
Oppose: 19%
Environmental Issues
How would you rate each of the following in your community?
with their air quality, with 75% rating the air quality in their community either excellent or good. DenverMetro region residents had the lowest ratings in the excellent (24%) or good (29%) categories and the state’s highest rating (13%) in the bad/terrible category.
Public transportation is an important tool in the effort to further reduce the state’s overall carbon footprint and improve air quality by reducing the number of vehicles on the roads and highways. However, only half (49%) of Latino registered voters rate the public transportation in their community as either excellent or good. Residents of the Southeast region of the state give public transportation particularly low ratings, with 27% rating it as either bad or terrible. Residents of the Denver-Metro region have the most positive views of public transportation, with 56% rating this in their community as excellent or good.
Wildfires and flooding can also significantly impact air and water quality in every region of Colorado, and are among the most direct consequences of climate change in the state. Just over half of Latino voters rate wildfire prevention (53%) and protections against flooding (52%) as either excellent or good, with nearly identical percentages rating them as average. Residents of both the Southeast and Northeast regions of the state had lower ratings for both wildfire and flooding prevention than other regions of the state, with good/excellent ratings dipping below the 50% mark for both items in the Southeast region.
Extreme heat is another consequence of climate change impacting the Latino community, with many Latinos concentrated in areas of the labor market that are exposed to extreme temperatures – both hot and cold — including landscaping, agriculture, and construction. The overwhelming majority (85%) of Latino registered voters support regulations to protect outdoor workers from extreme heat and cold in Colorado. Support for such protections are evenly distributed across every demographic within the Latino electorate, with 59% voicing “strong support” compared to just 3% who are strongly opposed.
On a positive note, the majority (66%) of Latinos statewide believe that the state is doing an excellent or good job of providing access to the state parks and recreational green spaces critical to the health and well-being of community residents. Residents of the Western Slope rate access to public spaces and recreational green spaces the highest, with 71% rating it good/excellent, but even the state’s lowest-ranking region (Southeast) saw a 57% rating of good or excellent.
POLITICAL SYSTEMS/CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Since its inception, the CLPA has annually asked Latino voters whether they feel the nation, the state, and their county are headed in the right direction, allowing for comparisons to be made over time.
In 2024, 51% of the 1,600 Latino voters polled believe that the nation is currently headed in the wrong direction, compared to 39% who think it is headed in the right direction. While those numbers
demonstrate a positive shift in attitude over 2023 (57% and 30%), this is the fourth consecutive year (polling began in 2021) a majority of Latinos believe the nation remains off track. Notably, Latinas are 19% more likely than Latino men to believe the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction in 2024.
Likewise, Latino voters continue to have a more positive view about the state of Colorado and their individual counties, as they are more likely to believe those two governments are on the right track rather than headed in the wrong direction (see figure 13). In 2024, 49% of Latinos believe the state of Colorado is going in the right direction (-4% since 2023), compared to 39% who believe it is going in the wrong direction (+4% since 2003), and 50% believe their county is going in the right direction (49% in 2023). Latinos who live in urban counties of the state were +4 points more likely to believe things are going in the right direction than those from rural areas.
At 17% of the overall eligible voter population in Colorado, the Latino electorate has had significant influence in recent federal and state elections and continues to outpace other racial groups in growth in eligible voter population in Colorado. However, the political influence of the Latino electorate is largely dependent on how many Latinos turn out to vote. Overall, 65% of the Latino electorate say they are 100% certain they will vote this November, including 72% of Latinos who reside in CD-8, the only Colorado congressional district represented by a Latina. Another 17% of Latino registered voters say it is ”likely they will vote,” and 13% are 50-50 as to whether they will vote or not in the 2024 presidential election. The remaining 5% are unlikely to vote this year.
When asked why, 36% of unlikely voters said they “did not like the candidates or politics” (polling was conducted prior to Vice President Kamala Harris earning the Democratic nomination) and another 27% said that their “vote doesn’t matter.” Another 16% blamed “not knowing enough about the candidates” and 16% more said that “no one represents them,”
followed by 7% who claimed the voting process is “too confusing.”
Such responses reinforce findings from the past three years demonstrating that Latino voter outreach and mobilization have fallen far short of where they should be to see Latino voter turnout reach its full potential. According to this year’s poll, 44% of Latinos statewide have not yet been contacted by anyone about registering or voting (+13% in CD-7), and those who have most often cite “friends, family and co-workers” for the outreach. Traditional mobilization agents, including candidates and parties, are not working hard enough to court the Latino vote, surely impacting voter turnout and overall civic engagement.
The poll findings suggest outreach should focus on increasing enthusiasm among women and young Latino eligible voters in particular. While 73% of Latino men say they are 100% certain they will vote in 2024, only 57% of Latinas say the same. The number decreases to just more than half (53%) of Latino voters under the age 30, by far the lowest level of enthusiasm by age group in the state. Voter enthusiasm was highest among Republicans, who were holding their party convention while the poll was fielded, with 76% reporting they are 100% certain they will vote,
Right Track/Wrong Track
Generally speaking, do you think things as a whole are going in the right direction or the wrong direction?
FIGURE
compared to 68% of Democrats and just 50% of independent voters.
Although the poll is designed to be nonpartisan in nature, respondents are asked to provide party affiliations to explore differences based on party identification. The survey has balance in partisanship, with 49% of Latino voters reporting they are Democrat, 25% Republican, and 21% independent, representing a 5% increase in Latinos who identify as Republican and a 9% decrease in independent voters over 2023.
The poll also measured political ideology to better understand trends over time and factors that may influence changes among Latino voting behavior as we approach the 2024 presidential election. Percentages around political ideology are almost evenly split this year as 37% of Latino voters consider themselves moderate, 31% liberal/progressive, and 31% conservative. A plurality (43%) of those polled in 2024 say their political ideology has not changed in the past four years, compared to 36% saying they have become more liberal and 25% who are more conservative.
The movement to the left is most apparent in the Denver-Metro region (+15%) and the Southeastern region of the state (+16%), along with CD-2 (+14%). CD-7 saw the largest shift to the right (+8%) while CD-6 saw shifts to both the right (+6%) and left (+8%), signaling an increase in polarization in the district.
The poll was fielded shortly after former President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican nominee, was found guilty of 34 felony counts, becoming the first convicted felon to be nominated by a major political party as their candidate for U.S. President. A majority (57%) of Latino voters reported they would be less likely to vote for a presidential candidate who was convicted of a felony, with another 30% indicating it would have no impact on how they vote. A smaller 13% (all Republicans) said they would actually be more likely to vote for a candidate who had been convicted of a felony, including 25% from CD-8.
Voter Outreach
In 2024, have any of the following contacted you to ask for your thoughts about politics or policy here in Colorado?
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS
● Same-Sex Marriage: In the 2024 election, Colorado is asking voters whether or not to remove the provision of the state constitution that says “Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state.” Latino voters favor removing the ban with 58% support (40% strongly support). The 28% of Latinos statewide who oppose removing the ban received a considerable boost from CD-4, where 45% of voters oppose the ballot measure. While 29% of Latino voters in CD-4 strongly oppose the measure, however, an identical number strongly supports it.
More than a third (37%) of Latino voters statewide who identify themselves as conservatives oppose removing the ban, split almost evenly between Republicans (34%) and independents (32%). Opposition from rural Latinos (31%) slightly outnumbers the statewide average, with opposition increasing among rural Latino Republicans (47%), conservatives (44%), voters over age 50 (39%), and those with annual incomes between $40,000-$79,000 (38%). The theme of increased opposition from rural, middle-income, conservatives, above age 50 is somewhat consistent throughout all regions of the state.
● Tax Policies: Many of the policy reforms supported by Latino voters will require financial resources to implement. Overall, 48% of Latinos say that they would prefer to see tax cuts as long as they do not take away from public services. Another 15% say they would prefer tax increases if they can ensure that public services are funded and 25% prefer tax cuts regardless of the impacts. Notably, 12% of all respondents said they were unsure about how they felt about increases or decreases in taxes, indicating potential to be swayed by effective campaigns.
Tax policy is one of the complex policy areas for voters to track. Most (65%) Latinos believe they understand Colorado’s tax system as it relates to funding public services, such as education, healthcare and transportation. Knowledge of the tax system is low, however, in CD-7 where 43% say they do not understand Colorado’s tax system very well. Latinos who earn less than $40,000 a year (45%), are unmarried (42%), and without children (42%) also struggle to understand the state’s tax system.
Same-Sex Marriage
● Mexico’s Presidential Election: Mexico is the country of origin most cited by Latinos in the poll, including 39% who remain eligible to vote in Mexico and 27% who actually voted in the most recent election. Following the historic election of President Claudia Sheinbaum, the first female
president in North America, a majority (55%) of Latinos of Mexican origin stated they are confident that the Sheinbaum administration will improve the quality of life of Mexicans living in the U.S. Only 17% say they are not confident while 28% remain unsure.
INSIGHTS BY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT*
On the following pages are insights by Congressional District. This year’s poll included an oversample of 354 voters in CD-8, a district that will be highly competitive and where Latino voters are poised to have an influence in 2024.
CD-8 ANALYSIS
With help from Latino voters, Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo made history by winning the 8th District by 1,600 votes to become the first Latina elected to Congress in Colorado in 2022. Nearly 40% of the district’s eligible voters are Latino (the highest percentage across all districts), so Latino support will be a key to victory. Latinos value the ability to elect other Latinos into office, and Caraveo benefited from the support of 73% of Latino voters in the district in 2022, more than the average Democratic vote share across all districts in the state (source: 2022 Colorado Latino Exit Poll).
Enthusiasm to vote in 2024 is highest in CD-8, with 72% of Latinos saying they are 100% certain they will vote (+8% relative to statewide) in the upcoming election. Given the demographics, that enthusiasm is at least partly driven by the ability to vote for a Latino. Still, additional outreach should be focused on Latinas in the district, as only 60% say they are 100% certain they will vote, compared to 85% of Latino men. Conversely, enthusiasm runs high among Latinos under age 30, 74% of whom are certain they will vote this election cycle.
Parties and candidates are investing in this highly competitive district, as CD-8 residents have been contacted to register or vote at a 10% higher rate than any other district. However, women in the district are 26% more likely than Latino men to say nobody has contacted them this election season, likely correlating to their lower levels of enthusiasm.
Issue-wise, Latinos in CD-8 are most concerned at the federal level with reducing the cost of living and improving wages, both
ranking slightly higher than the statewide average. Latinas in the district are especially concerned by inflation, ranking the issue nearly 10% higher than Latino men. Gun violence is also a top-five concern in the district.
Latinos in CD-8 have very progressive views on immigration, and protecting immigrant rights is a high priority for voters. Respondents were the most supportive across all districts for providing asylum to immigrants fleeing violence or war in their home countries, having emergency notifications sent out in languages other than English, and the creation of a state Language Justice Office.
CD-8 residents are 10% more likely than other districts to support reforming the Medicaid application process by creating a single state office responsible for reviewing and approving Medicaid applications. Additionally, Latino voters in CD-8 are 9% more supportive of allowing insurance and government plans like Medicaid to pay for safe and legal abortions.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1
● Addressing discrimination and racial justice (+7%) is a higher federal priority.
● Homelessness is a higher priority (29%) than the rest of the state (26%).
● More likely (+7%) to say their “financial situation has gotten worse in the past year.”
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 2
● More likely to be uninsured (+4) and are more likely to have higher healthcare costs than what their health insurance covers.
● 5% less likely to say they are 100% certain that they will vote in the 2024 presidential election.
● Nearly 10% more likely to oppose building a wall at the border.
● Lowering healthcare costs (+8%) and addressing gun violence (+4%) are highest in this district and rank more important in federal priorities and state priorities than elsewhere.
● Experienced a relatively better financial year than other Latinos in the state — half of the respondents in CD-2 note that their situation has gotten better over the past year. CD-2 also had the lowest number of respondents reporting their situation had worsened at 26%.
● More likely to support the creation of a Language Justice Office that would work to ensure that all state departments deliver services in Spanish and other languages (+6%).
● 9% more likely to think the U.S. is going in the right direction than the rest of the state.
● Most supportive of both of President Biden’s executive orders regarding DACA and Dreamers and allowing easier pathways to citizenship for spouses of U.S. citizens.
● Most likely (+8%) to support having a single state office responsible for reviewing and approving Medicaid applications, instead of the current system, which allows individual counties to decide.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 4
● Although economic factors were top concerns for Latinos regardless of congressional district, this was particularly the case in CD-4 as +5% cited “addressing the cost of living” as a main concern.
● More likely (+5%) to identify education as a top priority at the state level.
● More likely to say the state of Colorado is going in the wrong direction (+8%).
● Least supportive (-12%) of providing access to reproductive healthcare for everyone, regardless of their immigration status.
● Least likely to support the creation of a Language Justice Office (-9%).
● Least supportive of all districts to support an amendment to the Colorado constitution removing the ban on same-sex marriage (-17%).
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 3
● More likely (+3%) to say higher-paying jobs is a top federal priority.
● At the state level, homelessness is a higher priority in CD-3 (28%) than the rest of the state (23%).
● 5% more likely to think the U.S. is going in the wrong direction than the rest of the state.
● 9% less likely to support changing the constitution to deny citizenship to children
CD2
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 5
● Although economic factors were top concerns for Latinos regardless of congressional district, this was particularly the case in CD-5 as +5% cited addressing the cost of livin as a main concern.
● Much more likely (+12%) to identify the rising cost of living as a top priority at the state level.
● Least likely to think the U.S. is headed in the right direction, 13% lower than the rest of the state.
● More likely to say they will not vote for a convicted felon (+8%).
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6
● Federally, this is the district where immigration policy has the most salience in Colorado for Latino voters.
● Protecting immigrant rights is a higher priority (25%) than any other Congressional district.
● Support (82%) for employment-based visas is the most popular in this district.
● More likely (+5%) to rate their water quality as excellent or good.
● More likely (+6%) to support using insurance and government plans like Medicaid to pay for safe and legal abortions, just like other health services.
● Unlikely voters here are the most likely to say that they do not vote because it is too confusing (+9%).
● Most likely (+10%) to oppose making it a crime to travel with undocumented people (including family) across state lines.
● Only 21% of respondents believe the state has been effective at addressing affordable housing, lowest across the state.
● Support for employment-based visas is incredibly popular, at 82%.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 7
● Creating more affordable housing is highest as a priority in CD-7 (27% +7%).
● Protecting immigrant rights and immigration reform was a top concern for 1-in-4 Latinos here.
● More likely (+13% relative to overall average) than Latinos in other districts to report that they have not been contacted to register or vote by anyone at this point in the campaign.
● In regard to ideology, more likely to shift towards the right (+8%) since last year.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 8
CD8 (N= 354)
CD5 (N= 115)
CD1 (N= 239)
CD6 (N= 117)
CD4 (N= 114)
Improving the cost of living and improving wages and income are the top two federal priorities in CD-8, both slightly higher than the overall average.
Ranked gun violence as one of their top 5 concerns.
Asylum support is highest in the state at 75%
Have been contacted to register or vote at a higher rate than any other district (+10%).
● More supportive of having emergency notifications be sent out in languages other than English (+5%), and the creation of a Language Justice Office (+3%) than Latinos overall.
● 72% said they are 100% certain they will vote (+8 over the state average), the only district led by a Latina member of Congress.
* Some congressional breakouts (CD-4. CD-5 and CD-6) have smaller sample sizes (n>100) which may affect reliability
INSIGHTS BY REGION
DENVER-METRO REGION
● Residents have policy priorities that mirror the state’s average, with addressing the cost of living and increasing wages being the top two priorities at nearly the same percentage as the overall average.
● This region has the highest “terrible” or “bad” rating at 13% for air quality and have the lowest (43%) in the “excellent” or “good” category.
● 33% have been dropped from Medicaid over the past year, the highest across regions in the state.
● Most likely (+5%) to support allowing Medicaid and other government health plans to cover safe and legal abortions across all major regions of the state.
● Only region with a majority (51%) of residents who support police or school resource officers placed in schools to address school safety.
● Most supportive of amending the constitution to remove the ban on same-sex marriage at 65% support.
WEST REGION
● Most likely to identify improving wages and income as a top priority, 10% higher than the overall state average for federal priorities and 5% higher when it is framed as a state priority.
● More likely (+7%) to say their financial situation has gotten better over the past year.
● Much more satisfied with their air and water quality, 75% rating the air quality in their community either excellent or good, 67% for water quality.
● Across the state, residents of the Western Slope rate access to public spaces and recreational green spaces the highest (71%).
● Most supportive of providing more legal protections and funding to support long-term immigrant residents of the state (+9%) and the creation of a Language Justice Office in the state of Colorado (+5%)
NORTHEAST REGION
● Most likely to identify addressing the cost of living as a top federal priority (+5% higher than other regions) as well as the cost of healthcare (+5% higher than other regions).
● More likely to identify lowering healthcare costs as a state priority than the rest of the state (+5%).
● Southeast and Northeast regions of the state had lower ratings for both wildfire and flooding prevention than other regions of the state.
● At 81% support, residents are the most supportive of ensuring all residents of the state have access to reproductive healthcare, regardless of immigration support.
SOUTHEAST REGION
● The only federal priority that is unique for the Southeast region is reducing crime (+3%), the region views addressing the rising cost of living and higher wages at slightly lower percentages than the rest of the state.
● At the state level, just over half (52%) of residents chose addressing the rising cost of living as a top priority, the highest in the state’s regions.
● Has the lowest percentage of respondents whose financial situation has gotten better over the past year, 7% lower than the overall average.
● Most likely to believe that the U.S. and Colorado are headed in the wrong direction, 10% higher in both questions than the overall average.
● Water quality is viewed least favorably here (52%) than the rest of the state.
● Southeast and Northeast regions of the state had lower ratings for both wildfire and flooding prevention than other regions of the state.
● Most likely to report that they have not been contacted by anyone to register or to vote at this point in the election (+7%).
● Are 10% more likely to believe the state government and elected officials have been ineffective at addressing affordable housing in their community
SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF THE LATINO COMMUNITY IN COLORADO
The annual poll includes a host of demographic variables to help provide a socio-demographic profile of the Latino community in the state.
Although Colorado has experienced significant population growth driven largely by Latino immigrants moving into the state, 46% of respondents have lived in Colorado for more than 20 years, and another 28% between 10 and 20 years. Among those who have lived in the state for at least 10 years, 62% report that they are from families who have lived in the state for many generations. The most common nation of origin among Latinos in Colorado is Mexico at 66%, with the next most commonly cited national origin being Spain at 15%.
It remains important for political leaders and organizations interested in communicating with the Latino community in Colorado to do so bilingually, as 66% of all respondents reported that they speak Spanish in their homes at least weekly, with 43% reporting they do so every day. Overall, 19% of respondents preferred to take the 2024 survey in Spanish.
The most common religion among Latinos in Colorado is Catholic (43%), followed by Christian/Protestant at 22%. Atheist or non-religious was the third-most common response at 10%, with another 15% reporting that while they are spiritual they do not practice a religion.
Most Latinos in the state are either employed full-time (61%) or working part-time jobs (11%), with only 8% of Latinos surveyed currently unemployed but looking for employment. Overall, 16% of Latinos are selfemployed with another 11% employed in construction or landscaping. Retail (8%) and healthcare (8%) also have high concentrations of Latino workers.
Economically, nearly identical percentages of Latino households across the state that earn less than $20,000 annually (11%) as earn $150,000 or more (12%), which is a good overall indicator of the economic standing of the Latino community. Just under one-third (31%) of Latino households earn between $20,000 and $60,000, with 27% earning between $60,000 and $99,999.
WEST (N= 321)
NORTHEAST
(N= 272)
DENVER-METRO
(N= 721)
SOUTHEAST
(N= 286)
THE COLORADO LATINO POLICY AGENDA IS AN INITIATIVE OF THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS
Voces Unidas de las Montañas is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit based in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. We focus on organizing, advocacy, policy, research, leadership, and voter engagement programs.
Learn more at vocesunidas.org
Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) is a community-rooted 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to enable Latinx individuals and their families to lead safe, healthy and self-determined lives.
Learn more at colorlatina.org
Methodology Statement: The poll of 1,600 total completed interviews with Hispanic/Latino adults in the state of Colorado resulted in an overall margin of error of +/- 2.4%. Poll respondents were randomly selected in a blended approach including web-based and telephone interviews (both landlines and cell phones) and the poll was available in both English and Spanish at the respondent’s discretion. The poll was designed with an oversample of Latinos who live in rural counties of the state and large sample sizes allow for comparisons to be made by region/congressional district. Data were compared to the best-known estimates of the U.S. Census Current Population Survey (CPS) for demographic profile of Colorado adults and post-stratification weights were applied to bring the data into direct balance with Census estimates. The poll was led by Dr. Gabriel Sanchez and Dr. Matt Barreto from BSP Research, LLC.
