Source: NC PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE, 12/27/16

Latino voters are a growing voting block in North Carolina, and a new! survey finds a strong percentage of Latino North Carolinians want action to combat climate change. Political opinion research firm Latino Decisions polled Latino voters in seven key states on the eve of the November election and found the majority are concerned about climate change, air pollution and other public health threats.

Senior analyst of Latino Decisions, Edward Vargas said many Latinos are exposed to environmental threats every day.

"We know that there is a strong relationship between where you live and your health," he said. "And so we do see a high prevalence of asthma among Latino children. And so this reiterates the importance of the environment for Latinos."

Among Latinos polled in North Carolina, 89 percent believe President-elect Donald Trump and the new Congress should address climate change, with 96 percent supporting steps to reduce smog and pollution and 77 percent in favor of measures to develop clean energy sources.

Vargas said while Latino support for climate action is strong across gender and generational status, it's even more important to those who more recently arrived in the U.S.

"Latinos who immigrate to this country are more likely to be moving from places that have already been experiencing climate change," he explained. "And so this is basically their personal connection and tie to their homeland and this has implications as they vote here in this country."

While nationally, Republican Latinos were less likely than Democrats to support fighting climate change, the survey still showed 62 percent of Republicans said it still at least somewhat important.