Washington, DC -- In the first comprehensive survey of its kind, U.S. Latino leaders, while clearly attentive to U.S. relations with Latin America, are more focused on domestic issues - especially education. Released today and conducted by Public Agenda in partnership with the Toms Rivera Policy Institute, Here to Stay: The Domestic and International Priorities of Latino Leaders identifies the policy concerns and priorities of native and foreign-born U.S. Latino leaders in government, academe, business, media, the arts and the nonprofit sector.

U.S. Latino leaders anticipate economic and social gains for their community. Nearly nine in ten (87 percent) say U.S. Latinos' political influence will increase in the near future, and nearly eight in ten (77 percent) anticipate expanding economic opportunities. They also think U.S. leaders will become more attentive to Latino affairs, and that acceptance of the Spanish language will increase. At the same time, however, they are concerned that anti-Latino sentiment in the U.S. may also intensify, and eight in ten (80 percent) say the improvement of race and ethnic relations should be a very important U.S. policy goal.

Here to Stay clearly indicates that, like other Americans, Latinos are primarily concerned with domestic issues, said Rodolfo de la Garza, the Vice President of the Toms Rivera Policy Institute, a U.S. Latino policy research organization. Nonetheless, it also shows that Hispanics are highly engaged in international issues and have distinct foreign policy priorities that both reenforce and challenge traditional definitions of the national interest.

Close to Home

U.S. Latino leaders maintain close ties to Latin America -- nearly all (92 percent) have been to Latin America and of these 59 percent have traveled there within the last year -- but issues affecting Hispanics domestically, such as education and the economy, are their foremost concerns. Three in four (75 percent) say what happens to the Hispanic/Latino community in the U.S. is more important to me than the state of U.S. relations with Latin America.

Asked to prioritize the focus for U.S. domestic and international policy from a list of eighteen, U.S. Latino leaders rank education first -- 95 percent say it is a very important U.S. policy goal. Education is the key to the growth of the person and the community. Without education, we will be on the same treadmill of low income, poor jobs..., a Latino leader said. Improving race and ethnic relations (80 percent), economic growth (76 percent), the prevention of the spread of nuclear weapons (62 percent), reducing crime (61 percent), and improving the U.S. environment (60 percent) follow in importance.

Expand NAFTA

Despite their focus on domestic issues, 85 percent of U.S. Latino leaders also say the U.S. should be paying more attention to its relations with Latin America, and place a particular emphasis on improving trade, and developing and strengthening democracy and human rights. Support for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is strong -- seven in ten (69 percent) say free trade with other Latin American countries should be extended by the U.S. using the NAFTA model.

Latino leaders think a strong trade policy and support for democracy and human rights work in tandem -- more than seven in ten (75 percent) would link trade and aid to Latin American advances in democracy and human rights. Just as it happened in Europe with the collapse of authoritarian regimes, it's clear that a free economy and democracy go hand-in-hand, said a Latino leader.

'Most Americans Think Central America is Iowa'

Latino leaders in the U.S. often mirror the views of U.S. leaders overall on most long-range foreign policy goals, but are concerned that both American leaders and citizens have an almost myopic view of the hemisphere. Most Americans think Central America is Iowa. There is an ignorance, people don't pay attention, and this allows faulty policies, one participant in the survey said. When asked to rank eleven countries and regions in order of importance to the U.S., Mexico outstrips other areas that have traditionally garnered substantial attention in U.S. policy including Western Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Illegal Immigration and Illegal Drugs

U.S. Latino leaders' attitudes toward illegal drugs and illegal immigration are nuanced. While they clearly are in favor of curbing both, they fear other policy priorities, such as trade, economic growth and development, support for democracy and human rights, are being dwarfed by a U.S. emphasis on combating drug trafficking and illegal immigration. Latino leaders argue that if the lives of those living in Latin America can be improved these problems will also be ameliorated. What better way to deal with illegal immigration than to trade, to make deals? Because what causes illegal immigration is economic need, said a U.S. Latino leader.

U.S. Latino leaders are hardly indifferent to the problems of illegal drugs and illegal immigration, but at the same time are concerned these issues overshadow U.S.-Latin American relations, said Steve Farkas, a Public Agenda Senior Vice President and the Director of Research.

Media Coverage

Both U.S. Latino leaders overall and those who work within the media are concerned about the amount and quality of Latin America media coverage. Sixty-four percent of those in the media, and 68 percent of all Latino leaders, say they strongly agree that the mass media do a poor job reporting on Latin America. But, despite their dissatisfaction with coverage, nearly seven in ten (69 percent) also say they rely heavily on English-language media for information about Latin America.

Here to Stay is based on a mail survey of 454 U.S. Latino leaders in media, business, government, academe, the arts and the nonprofit sector. Questionnaires were mailed in late September, 1997, and fielding was concluded on December 31, 1997. Sixty-three percent of the respondents are U.S. born; 37 percent are foreign-born. Sixty-two percent have masters degrees and/or Ph.D.'s.

Here to Stay was funded by the Ford Foundation. Senior Vice Presidents Steve Farkas and Jean Johnson, Senior Research Associates Ann Duffett and Stephen Immerwahr, and Research Assistant Joanna McHugh researched and wrote Here to Stay, working in close collaboration with Rodolfo de la Garza, Miguel Baraona, Manuel Orozco, Harry Pachon and Adrian Pantoja at the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute.

Additional findings from this research can be found on Public Agenda's Web site, www.publicagenda.org. Copies of Here to Stay can be obtained by calling the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at 909/621-8897, or by ordering through the Institute's Web site at www.cgs.edu/inst/trc.htm.

Public Agenda is a highly respected nonpartisan, nonprofit public opinion research and education organization working to help citizens better understand complex policy issues and to help the nation's leaders better understand the public's point of view. It was founded in 1975 by social scientist and author Daniel Yankelovich and former U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance.

The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute was established in 1985 to conduct and disseminate objective, policy-relevant research, and its implications, to decision makers on key issues affecting Latino communities. The Institute has attained a reputation as the nation's premier Latino think tank by successfully identifying, analyzing and interpreting data that addresses salient policy issues and by formulating policy recommendations that provide its constituents with findings that facilitate informed decisionmaking.