Poll Shows Minority and Low-Income Californians Hit Hardest

A recent bipartisan poll for the University of Southern California and the Los Angeles Times found that all Californians have struggled during the recession, but that low-income and Hispanic residents have been hit hardest.

The poll, by the Greenberg Quinlan Rosner and the Public Opinion Strategies, found that the recession has had a direct effect on Californians. Almost half (47 percent) reported that either themselves or a family member saw reduced wages or hours. More than a third (36 percent) said they or a family member had lost a job. Almost a quarter (23 percent) said they or a family member had lost their health insurance. Finally, 10 percent reported that they or a family member had experienced foreclosure.

These results are stark, but the year was even tougher on Hispanics and low-income Californians. Hispanic respondents and their families were more likely than the population as a whole to have experienced decreased wages or hours (55 versus 47 percent), loss of a job (57 versus 36 percent), loss of health insurance (32 versus 23 percent), and foreclosure (21 versus 10 percent).

Of those with a family income of $30,000 or less, almost half (48 percent) had either lost a job or seen a family member lose theirsa one-third increase from the average. More than a third (35 percent) lost their health insurance or saw a family member lose theirs, versus 23 percent for all respondents.

Times are tough for everyone in the Golden State, but some are in serious trouble.

Posted by Mike

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