The 5 Biggest Issues Driving Young Latino Parents to the Polls

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The 2024 calendar year marks a potential turning point in the federal government as the presidential election is set to take center stage in November.

Latino voters could help decide the outcome.

Of the over 246 million Americans projected to be registered to vote in 2024, 36.2 million are Latino, according to data published by Pew Research Center. That’s a 3.9 million increase from the last presidential election, representing the second-largest increase of any minority ethnic group.

The recent rise in projected voter registration means that Latinos will have a 14.71% say in what happens in the upcoming election.

So, what’s on the mind of the Latino voter?

To answer, Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors partnered with UnidosUS and BSP Research to survey 1,500 Latino parents with children 5-years-old and younger to understand the issues driving them to the polls.

In turn, the National Latino Family Report 2024 highlighted five main concerns Latino families want the government to address.

1. Inflation

Many Latino families with young children are feeling the financial strain associated with the rising costs of goods such as, groceries, prescription medications, and fuel and services like, monthly utilities, rent, and healthcare.

For example, the price of butter and margarine went up 31.93% in 2023 from 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That’s a $6.39 difference in value, and inflation is showing little sign of slowing down.

The Department of the Treasury reported an economic growth rate of 5.7% in 2023 — a growth rate that hasn’t been seen since 1984, according to the report.

The Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors survey found that 37% of Latino families are having a difficult time trying to keep up financially with the fluctuating economy.

Faced with economic instability, many Latino families have looked for better paying jobs, taken on a second job, or started a side business.

Meanwhile, to make it through, Latino families are resorting to borrowing money from friends and family, relying heavily on credit cards, cleaning out savings, and more.

When it comes to employment, Latinos have brought up growing concerns of climate change’s impact on working conditions.

Conditions such as extreme heat, floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes have resulted in reduced working hours and lost wages.

A study performed by the Environmental Protection Agency found that Latinos are 43% more likely to live in areas where labor hours are cut due to extreme temperatures, according to the report.

75% of Latino voters want the government to address some of the issues surrounding climate change.

“Latino families express strong support or solutions that enhance their financial stability and quality of life,” the report stated.

2. Education

Often education is the gateway to financial security through higher-paying jobs.

86% of Latinos want their children to attend trade or vocational schools. However, some of these higher education institutions can be costly to attend, according to the Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors survey.

As a result, 90% of Latinos support policies that make college and trade school tuition free.

For jobs, Latino families favor their children pursuing careers in health (34%) and STEM.

31% of Latino families expressed support for their children joining STEM careers — a lucrative industry where Latinos only make up 8% of the workforce.

Entrepreneurship also received high marks from Latino families.

Latino representation in this career path has grown by 26% from 2019 to 2023 and in 2017, Latino businesses contributed $2.3 trillion to the US GDP.

To better prepare their children for future financial success, Latino parents also showed they supported social safety nets such as federal child savings accounts (87%) and an increase to the Earned Income Tax Credit (86%).

3. Health and Wellness

When it comes to health and wellness, Latino families prioritize improving neighborhoods, having access to healthy foods, and creating healthier environments.

There are many ways to improve a neighborhood, but according to the survey results, 46% of Latino families want something to be done about neighborhood crime, according to the Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors survey.

According to the Office of Policy Development and Research, violent crime disproportionately affects low-income people and minorities, like Latinos. Exposure to crime violent crime can impact the health and development of victims, family members, and communities.

Other concerns were addressing homelessness (37%), creating better paying jobs in their neighborhoods (38%), and having greater access to fresh and healthy foods (35%).

Many Latino families live in areas known as food deserts, where the nearest grocery store can be as far as 10 miles away from where the family resides.

Of those living in food desert communities, Latinos make up 15%.

To improve access to healthy foods Latino families believe lowing the cost of healthy foods (58%), increasing access to food pantries, WIC, SNAP (45%), and expanding healthy food options in their neighborhoods (40%) may help.

In addition to increasing access to nutritional assistance programs, Latino families strongly supported the expansion of WIC and SNAP programs, which recently saw a decrease in benefits following the temporary increase due to COVID-19.

Latino families also brought attention to the need for more quality open spaces (42%), more family-friendly community events (40%), more children’s activities (41%), more family-friendly businesses (26%), and more libraries and museums (24%) in their communities.

Families had strong feelings toward health care, especially when it came to mental health, which suffered during the pandemic.

To cut down on feels of stress and anxiety, 33% of Latino families thought more personal time in the form of meditation and exercise could be a possible solution. Others cited tackling some of the root problems such as career, education, and finances with coaching and counseling.

What’s more, Latino families showed overwhelming support for social and healthcare safety nets, such as paid family and medical leave (92%) and reducing gaps in Medicaid and CHIP coverage (90%).

According to KFF findings, over half of Latino children rely on Medicaid and CHIP programs for health care coverage.

4. Childcare

While the rising cost of groceries and healthcare are a challenge for Latino families, the rising cost in childcare is another huge financial barrier, according to the Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors survey.

Average childcare costs rising 30% in the US since 2019.

It’s estimated that half of families spend between $200 to $600 each month on childcare, which is a large portion of their monthly income.

“A significant portion of families do not receive childcare because it is too expensive, creating a barrier to their children’s early development and learning,” according to the report.

Of those surveyed, 24% spend $200 to $399 a month on childcare, 25% spend $400 to $599, and 19% spend $600 to $799 on childcare.

51% of Latino families reported that their children do not receive childcare, and 34% of them said it was because it was too expensive.

The cost burden associated with childcare can hinder job opportunities and affect household income, putting additional financial strain on families already struggling to make ends meet.

69% of Latino parents said they would increase their work hours if it meant they’d have affordable childcare, while 58% said they would be more likely to look for a job.

When looking for a childcare program, Latino families said that affordability, fair salary and good working conditions for providers, quality learning opportunities, and well-trained caregivers were among their top qualities.

91% of parents also expressed the need for their children to be bilingual, so having educational institutions that support multilingual learning is important.

“Bilingual education is a key component in preserving cultural heritage and ensuring future opportunities for Latino children,” according to the Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors survey.

A child who learns more than one language can set them up for the future, as recent research shows that bilingual individuals are poised to make 5-20% more per hour.

Development and education are critical in the first three years of a child’s life, and to ensure success Latino families are advocating for state funding to make childcare more affordable.

Investments to early childhood education includes increasing the compensation/pay of early childhood educators (93%), increased funding for culturally and linguistically responsive mental health services (93%), and education funding to support Latinos joining early childhood workforce (92%).

Lastly, 88% of Latinos emphasize family-provided childcare, reflecting the need for policies and support services to create change based on the role of family in childcare, according to the report.

“[It] reflects deep-rooted cultural values where trust is paramount.”

5. Investing in the Future

There is much to be gleaned from the according to the Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors survey responses of Latino families with young children.

Latino families desire economic stability, value community and family ties, prioritize mental health, and seek out educational opportunities.

Armed with this knowledge, the study emphasizes the importance of policymakers and local leaders understanding these attributes when deciding how to invest in the future of Latino families.

The data also supports that Latino families aren’t afraid of advocating for themselves and the needs of their communities.

To help get the message across to community stakeholders, you can download a Salud America! Health Equity Report Card.

The Health Equity Report Card can help give you the evidence and facts you need to create change in your community.

This helpful tool is designed to give you statistics and maps outlining inequities such as access to quality housing, educational opportunities, and reliable transportation where you live.

Compare your neighborhood to the rest of the state or country to emphasize a need for immediate action.

GET YOUR HEALTH EQUITY REPORT CARD!