A new study found that the Latino electorate does not trust the Democratic Party as much as they used to in the past.

Univision Communications Inc., the leading media company serving Hispanic America, alongside David Binder Research and Moore Information, two of the leading political research firms, conducted the study. The findings of the research indicate that 55 percent of Hispanic voters aged 25-54 do not identify themselves as "strong Democrats" nor "strong Republicans," which makes them "persuadable" for both party lines.

According to a report from Vox, the Latino community has long been regarded as supporters of the Democratic Party. In the 2012 presidential election, 71 percent of Latino Americans chose U.S. President Barack Obama over rival Mitt Romney. The percentage was only a little lower in 2008, hitting at 67 percent.

The study also found that Hispanic voters cross party lines to vote for a candidate from the opposing party. In the past, 61 percent of Republican/Independent Latino voters have cast ballots for a Democratic candidate, and 41 percent of Democratic/Independent Hispanic voters have voted for a Republican candidate.

David Binder, founder of David Binder Research, said that in spite of historic voting patterns, the Democratic Party cannot presume that Latinos will automatically vote for them in 2016.

"Our study found that the majority of Hispanic voters vote for the person, not the party, and are very open to learning more about any candidate who will focus on the issues they care most about. The Hispanic vote will be more valuable than ever in 2016 and each campaign needs to reach out to the Hispanic voter and earn their vote regardless of party affiliation," Binder explained in the study.

The research showed that Hispanic persuadable voters have tough preferences for how they acquire information that can affect their vote. 67 percent of Latino persuadable voters said they get their political campaign information from TV news, 49 percent from TV advertising, and 48 percent from digital sources, such as websites and the Internet.

Bob Moore, founder of Moore Information, said that the Hispanic voters' open mind and willingness to consider candidates apart from their party affiliation is good news for Republicans.

"There is a tremendous opportunity here for GOP candidates to speak directly with Hispanics about issues those voters care about most," Moore said, as quoted in the study. "The Hispanic electorate is telling us they want to hear what Republicans have to say and, if they like what they hear, are ready to support them."

A separate national survey found that the top five issues that matter the most to Hispanic persuadable voters are economy/jobs, healthcare, education, national security/terrorism, and immigration reform, Univision's website listed.