Hispanics and other minorities have different priorities for the Sacramento region than whites, according to a survey conducted by a research methods class on campus.

The research was presented today by sociology professor Amy Liu in the Lobby Suite of the University Union at her lecture titled “How does ethnicity affect public opinion about the Sacramento Region?”

The survey found that the issue most important to Hispanics in the region is quality education, while the issue most important to whites is traffic.

Immigration issues were also more important to Hispanics than whites and other minorities.

Some differences among the groups could be due to income level, Liu said. Nearly 60 percent of Hispanics surveyed earn less than $50,000 a year, but only a third of the white population fall into that category.

The research also showed that whites are over-represented at the voting polls. Whereas only 57 percent of Sacramento-area adults are white, 75 percent of its voters are white.

Consequently, Hispanics are under-represented. Hispanics make up 25 percent of the adult population, but only 12 percent of the voter population.

“There’s very little data, public data, about what people here–not the lobbyists, not the interest groups–but what the ordinary people think about the region as a whole,” Liu said during her lecture. The survey her class conducts annually provides an objective database about public opinion in the area.

Each year, her class develops questions to ask a random sampling of 1,000 households in the Sacramento area. The two-semester class spends a month collecting the data necessary, then publishes several reports on their findings.

Senior sociology major Diana Sahagun, who is in the research class now, said she learned about the differences between issues that were important to minorities and to whites, such as immigration.

“It’s something that hasn’t been resolved, and is an ongoing problem,” she said.

The lecture was the final lecture in a series by the Serna Center this semester.

The Serna Center offers scholarships for students involved in volunteering with Latino youth. Applications are due Friday.

“Get your applications in soon and I’m sure you’ll be considered,” Lasher said.

Lacey Waymire can be reached at [email protected].