Few Latinos 'angry' over Obama immigration policy, but support slips

Only a small minority of Latino voters report that they are angry over President Obamas decision this year to delay executive action on immigration reform, but disappointment over his deportation policies is widespread, and Democrats have suffered a decline in support from a crucial voting bloc, according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center.

Separately, a survey of Americans younger than 30 also shows a decline in support for Democrats. The poll by the Harvard Institute of Politics showed Obamas approval rating among members of the millennial generation had dropped to 43%, with 53% disapproving. That group's level of support for Obama was down from 47% this spring, though still slightly greater than a year ago.

The poll of younger Americans also showed a sharpening division along racial lines, with whites disapproving of Obama by 31% to 65%, African Americans still overwhelmingly approving of the president (78% approve, 17% disapprove) and Latinos almost evenly divided.

Taken together, the two surveys show stresses on the coalition of voters who elected Obama. They come as the country approaches a midterm election in which the presidents party is likely to suffer significant losses in part because of an expected mediocre turnout by key parts of that coalition.

The Pew survey showed that Latino support for Democrats has receded on a couple of key measures, including party identification and a question about which party better represents their interests. But the decline was modest, noticeable mostly by contrast with very high levels of support achieved in 2012, when Obama won reelection.

Just over six in 10 Latinos said they either consider themselves Democrats or lean in that direction, down from 70% in 2012 but still at a historically high level.

One in four Latinos said they identify with or lean toward the Republicans, up slightly over the past few years and back to the level of support during the George W. Bush presidency.

Asked which party has more concern for Latinos, half named the Democrats and 10% said Republicans, with just over one-third saying they saw no difference. On that question, too, the Democrats standing has dropped from a high point reached during Obamas reelection, but only to the level that prevailed during most of his first term. The Republican standing has not changed significantly.

One factor buoying Democrats is that Latinos remain more positive about the nations direction than are Americans overall. Just over four in 10 Latino voters said they are satisfied with the way things in the country are going, compared with fewer than three in 10 voters overall. Among foreign-born Latinos, more than half said they were satisfied with the countrys direction.

But deportations remain a significant point of tension.

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Few Latinos 'angry' over Obama immigration policy, but support slips

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