Global warming is a high priority issue for Hispanics in the upcoming 2016 presidential election, according to a recent survey conducted by FAU’s Business and Economics Polling Initiative.[visualizer id=”30988″]

The study shows that 73 percent of the 500 Hispanics surveyed nationally view global warming as a “somewhat serious” or “very serious” issue. This stacks up substantially higher than the national average of 50 percent of Americans that say they are “personally concerned about climate change,” according to the Yale School of Forestry and Environment Studies.

According to BEPI, voters on all ends of the political spectrum look at climate change as a high priority. Eighty-two percent of Democrats, and 62.2 percent of Republicans say it is either a somewhat serious or very serious area of concern.

However, some Hispanic FAU students are indifferent on the matter.

“It’s not a concern that comes up for me,” said Camilo Moreno, an FAU senior from Colombia. “I’m kind of ignorant right now.”

In terms of the 2016 presidential election, the study shows that global warming weighs heavy on the minds of Hispanic voters,with roughly three out of five respondents answering that global warming is a serious issue.

When asked about the BEPI survey, some Hispanic FAU students didn’t think it was that pressing of an issue for their demographic.

“I didn’t even know that was a thing,” said Colombian FAU freshman Wanda Lopez. “I never heard [my family] talk about it.”

Regardless of FAU student opinion, climate change has proven to be a major issue on the campaign trail in previous years.

In the 2012 presidential election, Hispanic voters accounted for 10 percent of all voters according to Pew Research Center.

Of that percentile, 71 percent voted for Barack Obama, who told ScienceDebate that “climate change is one of the biggest issues of this generation.”

This compares to the 27 percent who voted for Mitt Romney and his more apathetic approach. Romney was quoted as saying that “the reality is that the problem is called global warming, not America warming.”

Winning Florida was a key component in Obama’s win over his Republican opponent in 2012. With 17 percent of the state’s voters in 2012 identifying as Hispanic, BEPI’s survey is an early indicator that global warming is set to be a key issue candidates will need to address to win Florida’s 29 electoral college points in 2016.

The BEPI regularly conducts surveys on “business, economic, political, and social issues with main focus on Hispanic attitudes and opinions at regional, state and national levels,” according to their website. The organization is comprised of five faculty members and 15 students that conduct a new survey monthly.