Poll: Arizona debate stirs racism

PHOENIX, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Many Arizona residents think the debate over the state's new immigration law has increased racial discrimination against Latinos, a poll indicated.

In a telephone poll, almost half those responding -- 46 percent -- said they thought Latinos are more likely to be discriminated against compared with non-Latinos than they were six months ago, The Arizona Republic reported Monday.

And nearly half also believe the debate has revealed racial problems in the state and that Latinos are more likely to have their legal status questioned than they were at the beginning of the year, the poll revealed.

A quarter of respondents to the poll were Hispanic, in line with their share of Arizona's population.

But even among non-Hispanics, 39 percent of Arizonans said they felt Latinos were more likely to face discrimination than non-Latinos; 43 percent disagreed.

A sociology instructor at Arizona State University said that given the tension over immigration during an economic downturn he isn't surprised at the divisiveness in the poll.

"Both sides are so grounded in their position that you're not going to have much of a conversation," Luis Plascencia said.

The poll, conducted from June 30 to July 12, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.89 percentage points.