Sm Equis Research Logo

At Equis Research, we are helping to move past the idea of the Latinx community as a monolith, and toward a more sophisticated understanding of the experiences, issue preferences, and political identities of Latinx voters.

Sm Equis Labs Logo

At EquisLabs, we are creating a home for ideas, learnings, and leaders that have the potential to massively increase Latinx civic participation and build power. We focus on three areas: research, innovation, and leadership.

Sm Equis Institute Logo

At Equis Institute, we are a hub for leaders in the Latino community who want to foster a better connection between Latinx communities and the democratic process. We convene partners around innovative research and ideas and provide capacity building & training opportunities for national, state, and local leaders.

Equis

Latino voters are one of the last great wildcards.

An -8 shift from 2016 to 2020

63

%

Latinos swung their support more than other groups from Clinton to Biden in 2016 to 2020.

Increase in electorate composition

+1.2

%

Latinos had the greatest increase in vote share in 2016 to 2020.

Of eligible voters turned out in 2020

50

%

Latinos under-performed their voting potential in 2020.

How we’ll make it happen

Counter-Disinformation
Strategies

We are living through a crisis of trust. The changing nature of Latino media ecosystems, voids in Spanish-language information, and insufficient action by social media platforms make disinformation and misinformation acutely problematic in Latino and Spanish-dominant communities. With the ongoing threat of disinformation, misinformation, and harmful narratives targeting the Latinx community in the United States, it's critical that we invest in understanding how Latinos receive and engage with information online in both English and Spanish to combat false or misleading narratives and to provide better messaging, digital, and communications support where needed.

Our work is focused on (1) tracking key trends and narratives in Latinx and Spanish-language spaces online, (2) holding social media platforms more accountable when it comes to reducing the spread of Spanish-language disinformation and misinformation and addressing violations to terms of service, and (3) providing support to organizations looking to combat the corrosive effects of disinformation and misinformation on democracy.

Leadership

Our research shows that Latinos in the United States do not feel powerful or entitled to engage in politics and society more broadly; that many still feel like guests in our country. We believe that creating a sense of belonging and power requires deep investment in the leadership and talent of our communities. Alongside our partners and allies, Equis plays a central role in providing the tools, research, and resources needed to elevate Hispanic leaders and talent who will carry forward the critical work of strengthening our communities sense of belonging in society, culture, and politics.

Cementing Latines’ sense of belonging in society, culture, and politics begins by investing and elevating Hispanic leaders and talent.

Local and National Partnerships

The deep cultural nuance that exists among American Latinos is reflected in the vast network of Latinx, Hispanic-serving civil rights, grassroots, advocacy, and communications organizations across the nation. Our surveying, polling, monitoring, and digital innovation programming is deeply informed by the individuals who serve the American Latino community day in and day out. This feedback loop is a priority for us as it’s necessary to ensure that our findings and recommendations are both relevant and actionable for the movement.

We foster authentic partnerships with individuals and organizations serving the Latine community by 1) creating convening spaces and opportunities for collaboration and learning 2) centering partner needs, challenges and requests into our research projects and 3) sharing our findings and recommendations widely to ensure it is understood and applied by as many practitioners as possible.

Media & Digital Innovation

With the rapid growth of both digital media consumption and the U.S. Latino population, it is critical to invest in learning how best to communicate with Latine audiences online. Our media and digital innovation work seeks to facilitate “more and better” digital programs for our community. In other words, our work is focused on (1) developing and testing new and better tools and tactics to reach and engage Latino audiences, (2) using our data to advocate for more digital investment and engagement in Latinx communities, and (3) providing digital support to organizations looking to improve their programs.

Research, Polling & Analysis

Equis continues to set a high bar for research, polling, and analysis as well as digital testing and experimentation, by commissioning both qualitative and quantitative research that provides indispensable best practices on how to reach Latinos by understanding what values they hold, what motivates them, and what challenges they face. We use research to: bridge the disconnect between organizations and the Hispanic community, particularly, those neglected by traditional politics and campaigns in society. Our research seeks to anticipate challenges and develop opportunities to change Latino voting behavior, while also expanding upon best practices in studying the Latine electorate, We expand beyond traditional Hispanic voter destinations such as Texas and Florida to examine the experiences and preferences of our communities across the US.

When a group is perceived to drive election outcomes, members of that group are more likely to turn out to vote.

- Dr. Bernard Fraga

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