Poll: Close to 9 in 10 Latinos to fill out Census forms

WASHINGTON (AP) — What boycott? Close to 9 in 10 Hispanics say they intend to participate in the 2010 census, with immigrants more likely to say the government count is good for their community and that personal information will be kept confidential, according to a new poll.

The Pew Hispanic Center survey, released today, appears largely to put aside concerns that Hispanic discontent with the government's slow progress on immigration reform will curtail participation in the high-stakes count now under way.

The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders had suggested a Hispanic boycott of the census to protest the lack of action on immigration.

Hispanics, who make up roughly 15 percent of the nation's population, still tend to lag behind other racial groups when it comes to mailing in census forms.

But the latest survey suggests the numbers may be improving and that, contrary to conventional notions, the hardest-to-reach may not be fearful immigrants but rather disenchanted Hispanics born in the U.S.