Poll results: Trump will need at least 30 percent of Latino vote to win

Watch FIU’s Latino Poll webcast discussion in its entirety here.

A smartphone survey of more than 9,000 voters found most Latinos in the United States would vote for Democratic frontrunner Hilary Clinton if the election were held today. Nearly 19 percent said they would vote for Republican Donald Trump.

Of those who said they would vote for Trump, nearly all pointed to his stance on immigration as the main reason for their choice.

“Hispanics are historically an elusive population to reach,” said Eduardo Gamarra, a professor in FIU’s Department of Politics and International Relations, who designed the poll. “They are also a very complex demographic. Using this technology, we are able to reach Hispanics at scale.’’

According to Gamarra, the winning presidential candidate will need to carry at least 30 percent of the Latino vote.

The results of the poll were revealed March 17 during a discussion moderated by Randy Pestana of the FIU Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy. The poll was conducted through the Latino Public Opinion Forum, the first university initiative in Florida to systematically study the growth and impact of the Latino population. (Watch the webcast discussion in its entirety here.)

The forum is a collaboration between FIU’s Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs and Adsmovil, a leading mobile advertising company that specializes in reaching the U.S. Hispanic population.

FIU’s Jack D. Gordon Institute of Public Policy, Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, Cuban Research Institute, Metropolitan Center, Department of Politics and International Relations and Department of Global and Socio-Cultural Studies are also partners in the project.