The poll surveyed Latinos in Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, the states the Mississippi River passes through, on pressing issues relating to it. The amount of concern and support for the protection of the Mississippi River is overwhelmingly clear. When asked to describe the river, 83% described it as a national treasure, 78% as very important to people in their community, 65% as polluted, 51% as threatened, and 52% as something they feel responsible for.
Latinos are very or extremely concerned with the presence of pollution in the country’s rivers, lakes, and streams; 74% of them expressed this concern. And specifically on the Mississippi River, 93% believe trash being dumped on the river’s streams and tributaries, the presence of microplastics (89%), chemicals and waste from industry (88%), and PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” (86%) as major threats to the health of the river.
“Nature and water are part of Latino history, ancestry, traditions, and lifestyle,” said Maite Arce, president and CEO of Hispanic Access Foundation. “The Mississippi River is not only a lifeline for the U.S. economy; it's also a lifeline for the livelihoods, wellbeing, and cultural heritage of many thousands of Latinos.”
The Mississippi River is part of Latino culture and way of life. 47% of Latinos live within 10 miles or less from the river, and 63% go walking, biking, or hiking in parks or trails by the river; 51% visit it to maintain good mental health; and 48% to attend a festival, volunteer, or a community event.
Considering how ingrained the Mississippi River is in the Latino way of life, it is no surprise that they support river conservation initiatives and further action by elected officials and Congress. 59% of Latinos surveyed feel that taking action to restore the Mississippi River should be a very or extremely high priority for the state. They prefer that Congress members ensure the protection of water, air, wildlife, and recreation on our public lands instead of the production of domestic energy by maximizing the public lands available for responsible oil and gas drilling and mining. Latinos greatly support (87%) the 30x30 goal of conserving 30% of America’s lands, freshwater, and ocean by the year 2030, and 93% support potential policies that could be proposed in Congress that provide funding to prepare for the prevention of the worst impacts of flooding, support potential policies that provide incentives to farmers to encourage them to use sustainable practices that improve soil health (92%), and potential policies that create new national parks, monuments, or wildfire refuges to protect areas for outdoor recreation (91%).
“These poll results are undeniable evidence of the importance of conserving the Mississippi River for Latinos,” said Vanessa Muñoz, Hispanic Access Foundation’s Waterways Manager. “River conservation initiatives would have far better results if they made a greater effort to engage and help remove the barriers that impede Latinos from joining and becoming passionate river advocates.”
The poll surveyed 400 Latinos across the 10 states (AR, IL, IA, LA, KY, MN, MO, MS, TN, and WI) where the Mississippi River passes through. The survey was conducted between July 23 and August 1, 2024, and the effective margin of error is ±3.6% at a 95% confidence interval. More survey data is available at www.hispanicaccess.org/mspoll.