Latino Immigrants in favor of May first economic boycott.

The large majority of Latino immigrants will support the May first economic boycott. More than 70% of the respondents stated that they will support the “Great Latino Stop” by not attending work, buying anything, or sending their children to school, according to a study conducted by Garcia Research.

“The study indicates that even with the differences in opinion that exist amongst leaders and organizations about the best manner in which to make the boycott effective, and the possible negative repercussions like sanctions and unemployment, the immigrant population has received with great enthusiasm the idea of the boycott”, said Cristina Garcia, director of El Pulso Latino, the division of Public Polling of Garcia Research.

Only 11% of the respondents said that they did not support of the economic boycott, while 71% said that they were in favor of the boycott and were willing to show their support with concrete action.

The main action, which is the call by organizers for Latino immigrants not to attend work, is supported by 72% of the respondents.

90% of the respondents said that they would not buy anything and 74% said that they would not send their children to school.

The study was done via phone in the regions of the United States where there is the largest concentration of Latinos, like Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Houston, and Miami. 761 Latino immigrants of both genders were interviewed in Spanish, with employment in diverse economic activities.

In terms of the different regions, the study did not show significant differences concerning support of the boycott. For example, in the Los Angeles area, 79% of respondents said that they would not attend work; while in the Chicago area 71% said that they would not go to work. In the latter region, 95% said that they would not buy anything, while in the Los Angeles area, 94% will abstain from buying anything.

The differences in age, time in the US, and income reveal differences in support for the boycott. The younger respondents with less time in the US show the most enthusiasm about not working.

Respondents ages 18 to 24, 74% said that they would not attend work. Of the respondents over 50 year of age, 60% said that they would not attend work.

72% of immigrants who have been in the US for a maximum of four years said that they would not attend work. While people who are here for more than 20years, only 63% said that they would support the boycott by not going to work.

Lower income immigrants, less than $20,000), are more willing to boycott work than those who earn over $50,000 (78% and 60% respectively).

“Very few times in the recent history of the immigration movement has there been an issue in which Latinos far and wide of this country showed such unity,” said Carlos Rajo, political analyst and affiliated consultant with Garcia Research. “Beyond the effectiveness of the boycott, the study confirms what has been said about wakening up that ‘giant’ that represents the immigrants in the United States.”