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Press Release
Contact: Garcia Research (213) 215-2621
Immediate Distribution
5.9.2006
May First Economic Boycott A Success,
Say Latino Immigrants
A substantial majority of Latino immigrants consider the events
of this past May first a success, according to a survey released
today by Garcia Research. The "Great American Stop"
or "A Day Without an Immigrant" included an economic
boycott, rallies, and people not attending work or school.
This national study shows that 81% of the respondents feel
that the various activities that immigrants participated in
on May first were a success. This opinion is widely shared by
all immigrant Latinos, and a similar consensus is found among
those interviewed irrespective of location, age and economic
background. According to the US Census there are approximately
20 million Latino immigrants, thus 81% would be representative
of 16.2 million Latino immigrants that feel the events were
a success.
"The results of this survey confirm the sentiment identified
in our study conducted prior to May first, which revealed that
whether or not they would directly participate in the boycott,
a large majority of Latino immigrants felt that the May first
events were something positive for the immigrants' cause,"
said Cristina Garcia, director of El Pulso Latino, the division
of Public Opinion Polls for Garcia Research.
The study also shows an enthusiastic participation by immigrants
in the May first activities. For example, 65% of the respondents
said that they did not attend work (representative of 13 million
Latino immigrants). In the western region of the US, particularly
due to the influence of Los Angeles, this percentage is as high
as 71%.
Age and income were important factors in the participation
levels seen across the country. Overall for the US, 77% of immigrants
18 to 29 indicated that they did not go to work. Among those
older than 40 years of age, only 50% said that they did not
go to work. A similar percentage - 54% - resulted among those
with household incomes above $50,000.
With respect to the boycott called for May first, 95% of those
interviewed said that they did not buy anything, a result corresponding
to 19 million Latino immigrants. This number is similar across
the US, with the boycott participation levels again seen to
be a bit higher in the west - 98%.
"It is not by chance that Los Angeles has been called
'the capital of the Latino Immigrants'", said Carlos Rajo,
a political analyst who participated in the study as a consultant
for Garcia Research. "It is not just a number thing - this
is where there are the most Latinos - but the level of mobilization
and participation that were seen in Los Angeles on May first
has marked the awakening of immigrants".
Even though rallies in places like Los Angeles are said to
have involved over half a million people, according to the study,
only 25% of the respondents nation-wide said they participated
in some sort of rally (representative of 5 million Latino immigrants).
69% of those interviewed said that they did not send their
children to school.
The economic or political impact of the occurrences of May
first are not clear, yet there is a truth that cannot be ignored:
the potential influence of 19 million Latinos across the nation
that for an entire day did not buy anything; or the 13 million
approximated not to go to work.
The study interviewed 504 male and female Latino immigrants
ages 18-64, conducting Spanish-language interviews with respondents
contacted by random digit dial.
Garcia Research is a Latino-owned research company based in
Burbank, California.
Contacts:
Cristina Garcia (213) 215-2621
Carlos Rajo (323) 687-4109
© Garcia Research Associates
