As with other communities, Latinos have concerns as diverse as jobs, health care and education, said Hispanic Action Foundation president Maite Arce, "but the difference is that conservation is definitely a more unanimous issue among the Latino voter community."

Not only should policymakers note this facet of the fastest-growing segment of the country, Arce said, but candidates running in the upcoming mid-term elections should study it carefully as well.

Arce said water and air pollution are especially important to a strong majority of Latino voters, something office-seekers should address.

"It's an opportunity for candidates to really start that conversation with their Latino constituents," she said. "It's a really great way to connect because conservation clearly matters to the Latino voter community."

Arce said the opinion polls conducted from 2011 to 2014 show solidarity among Hispanics on environmental issues.

"For the most part," she said, "Latinos are not divided by gender or party or identification or age, or any other demographic traits when it comes to conservation issues and the environment."

She said the research shows more than 70 percent of Latino voters are worried about global warming.

The full report is online at hispanicaccess.org.

- See more at: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2014-08-22/environment/study-latinos-ar...