Seven out of ten Latina, Black, and Asian American and Pacific Islander women living in Florida support abortion access and say 2024 elections in the U.S. will be "extremely important," according to a poll conducted by Lake Research Partners and HIT Strategies, and commissioned by Intersections of Our Lives, a coalition of three reproductive rights organizations.
The study was funded by the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), and In Our Own Voice. It was designed to examine the voting intentions of women of color and their attitudes toward abortion as the issue remains at the forefront of the political conversation.
The survey was conducted between March 14 and April 2 in Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Virginia and included a sample of 850 Black registered voters, 850 Latina registered voters, and 850 Asian American and Pacific Islander registered voters.
The findings say "Solid majorities of Black, Latina/x, and Asian American and Pacific Islander women say the 2024 election is extremely important, and nearly nine in ten say it is extremely or very important." Among Floridian women of color, 71% said November elections are "extremely important."
The study also shows that women of color in the Sunshine State are "very motivated" to vote in November (65%), a higher percentage than in Georgia (58%), Texas (57%) and Virginia (52%).
In Florida, the main reason for supporting a candidate was shared "values" (20%), closely followed by feelings about how politics will affect their lives (19%) and a need for change (also 19%), as per the results of the survey.
About 13% or fewer Latinas and other women of color in the state say the way they plan to vote is mainly because of support for a candidate, support for a political party, a focus on state issues or their feelings about a particular issue.
Texas women of color, however, say the most important reason for their vote is "a focus on national issues" (20%), followed by how policies might impact their life (19%).
Regarding abortion, about 48% of women of color in Florida think "abortions should be legal and generally available and subject to only limited regulation", while 24% say "regulation of abortion is necessary, although it should remain legal in many circumstances."
In total, the findings conclude, 72% of Latinas, Black, Asian, and Pacific Islander women in Florida support abortion access.
When asked how important abortion will be as a voting issue in the general election for president, Congress and other offices, 47% of women of color in Florida said it was "very important." This was the same proportion as in Texas (47%), while it was slightly higher in Virginia (50%).
"Reproductive Justice, people's ability to decide if they want to become a parent, when to become a parent, and how to parent the children they have, is top of mind for women of color voters," the study concluded.
"Women of color's concerns about Reproductive Justice span multiple issues including securing good-paying jobs, accessing affordable healthcare including abortion and birth control, improving maternal health outcomes, and lowering the costs of food, housing, and living."
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