A new bipartisan survey has found 79 percent of Latinos are in favor of government financial aid for undocumented students attending state universities, contrasting with only 30 percent of whites, supporting the idea.
The USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences/Los Angeles Times Poll, also found that 55 percent of the interviewed voters, oppose the California DREAM Act, which was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on October 8th.
The new legislation supported by 40 percent of the 1,500 poll participants, will permit undocumented students who graduated from California high schools and meet other criteria, to receive taxpayer aid to attend public California universities and colleges, starting in 2013.
The poll shows that 53 percent of registered Democrats support the new policy, while only 23 percent of Republicans are in favor.
Forty nine percent of those polled consider the universities not very affordable or not at all affordable, while 41 percent say they are very, or somewhat affordable. Fifty-two percent of Latinos showed concern about the cost, compared with 48 percent of whites.
Tuition increases at the 10 University of California and 23 Cal State campuses have been consistent during the last ten years which has resulted on 53 percent of parents or grandparents living with children younger than 18, and 57 percent of the individuals between the ages of 19 and 29, finding the universities “somewhat” or “entirely” unaffordable.
“Cal State tuition and fees total $6,521 annually, not including room and board — below the $7,186 national average for similar master's degree campuses, according to a recent survey by the College Board. UC's tuition and fees are about $13,200 this year, above the national average of $9,185 for doctorate-granting institutions”, said Los Angeles Times.
The poll found some positive answers regarding higher education, as 55 percent gave a favorably checkmark to UC and Cal State, overall. Twenty Five percent have an unfavorable impression of the UC system and 27 percent look doubtfully at Cal State.
The study was conducted for the USC Dornsife and L.A. Times, by the Democratic firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, in conjunction with American Viewpoint, a Republican company; and included interviews to 1,500 registered California voters Oct. 30 through Nov. 9, with an overall margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.52 percentage points.
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